


Connie Swap Episode 19: Sworn to the Shield

by br42, BurdenKing, MjStudioArts



Series: Connie Swap [19]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Anxiety, Art, Deaf, Deaf Character, Drama, F/F, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Momswap, Music, Pictures, Platonic Romance, Romance, Slice of Life, Steven Universe AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-07
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2019-03-28 02:50:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13894644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42, https://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts
Summary: Jasper has agreed to train Steven to be Connie's shieldbearer. She has lots to teach Steven and he's eager to learn. So why does Connie feel a little uncertain about the whole thing?





	1. Training Montage

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? What madness is this?!
> 
> As is often the case, this chunk of the episode grew in the telling and so it has been broken up into two chapters for length.
> 
> The visit with Neimaat that Steven mentions is a reference to a canon omake that is in the process of being created. It'll appear later and then you'll get to see what went down during that long weekend.
> 
> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [Connie Finds Out About Lapis And Peridot's Secret Pop Career](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/31407819) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42), [BurdenKing](http://archiveofourown.org/users/BurdenKing/pseuds/BurdenKing), [MJStudioArts](http://archiveofourown.org/users/MjStudioArts/pseuds/MjStudioArts) \- "With Steven's VHS copy of the vintage Crying Breakfast Friends movie destroyed, Connie scours a seedy shop on the outskirts of Beach City looking for a replacement. She finds far more than she was expecting." **This fic is 100% canon.**

It had been fun having Neimaat visit, even if things took some unexpected turns over the course of the long weekend. However, through it all Steven couldn't help but wait with a mix of excited and worried butterflies in his tummy for what was coming after: destiny training with Jasper.

He'd had the darnedest time getting to sleep the night before and he'd snapped awake even ahead of his pre-dawn alarm. It was like the night before his birthday... only with fewer presents and (he assumed) more push-ups. He wasn't sure what destiny training with miss Jasper actually involved, but he'd packed a portable speaker and collection of training montage music just in case. And now he was downstairs finishing off the power breakfast his bleary-eyed dad had cooked for him.

Steven was the only morning person in the family.

"- _Danger Zone_ from that old airplane movie but I'm pretty sure there won't be any jets or volleyball, so I cut it." Steven paused long enough to wolf down some more oatmeal, his feet excitedly kicking the kitchen divider.

His dad yawned and sipped coffee from his 'Why A.M. I awake this early?' mug. "You got _The Eye of the Tiger_ on there, right?" he asked a moment later.

Steven swallowed then chirped, "Four different mixes of it!"

"Then I think you'll be fine, kiddo." He took another sip while the house played a quiet Bach chamber piece from the 'Sleepy Time' playlist. "More turkey bacon?"

Steven shook his head, then paused, then nodded. Whatever was going to happen, he wanted to be ready and that meant well fed. "Oh, that reminds me, hey dad, do you have any workout equipment? I know Connie has some, but she's probably using stuff for the advanced class and I'm just a beginner."

Greg rubbed the corner of one eye and said, "Oh, all that stuff got sent to the barn a while back. I've made peace with the fact that my six pack is and shall always be hidden under a spare tire." After letting his latest swig of coffee stir his sluggish thoughts, he added, "Anyway, if you or the others can use the stuff in that old barn, feel free. Better than it sitting around gathering dust. The code for the combination lock is one-two-three-four-five."

Steven paused. "Isn't that the same as your luggage?"

The two stared at each other for a moment before they broke into grins. "Ayyy!"

Before more Mel Brooks could be referenced the coming of the dawn was heralded with heavy knocks high on the front door.

"Oh! Gotta go, dad!" said the teen before guzzling the rest of his orange juice, wiping his mouth, and then sprinting for the door. Just before disappearing out of sight, he paused and called over his shoulder, "Love you!"

Greg gave a happy, if sedate, wave. As his son headed out the door he heard Jasper, that big yellow wolf, and Connie greet the boy, Connie sounding only slightly more alert than Greg did. _Glad it's not just me,_ he thought, raising the coffee mug to his lips and finding it somehow empty.

He started to turn to pour a fresh cup but noticed Steven's second serving of turkey bacon had gone untouched. "Bacon? We don't waste no stinkin' bacon," Greg muttered in a poor Aqua-Mexican accent before making good his statement.

* * *

Peridot hummed the melody to _Poutine on the Ritz_ while she directed her fleet of floating fingers to preparing breakfast. The pancakes were flipped in time to when the choreography called for tipping the top hat.

Jasper and Connie had departed to fetch the Steven for his first day of training, an eminently reasonable course of action given the hazards Crystal Gem business posed for accompanying humanity; even Doug had been hospitalized as a result of the… incident one-point-five decades prior.

Wolf had accompanied the pair, the canine perking up whenever the Steven was mentioned due to what Peridot was theorizing was a Pavlovian response from the teen’s frequent carrying of snacks.

Less explicable was Lapis' pre-dawn departure, the Blue gem slipping away without remark.

Unable to form a plausible hypothesis, Peridot shrugged and fell back to her cooking and musical nostalgia.

The front door opened but Peridot hadn't heard the heavy footsteps that would herald Jasper, nor the interlocution that was a near-constant when Connie and the Steven were in one another's proximity. Turning around with the start of a smile on her face, Peridot said, "Hello Laz. How are-"

Peridot blinked behind her HUD-enhanced eyewear, staring face-to-stamen with a gladiolus. An oddly-mangled gladiolus, to be precise, the flower thrust forward by a Lapis Lazuli whose cheeks were flushed an even darker shade of blue than usual.

"Hey Dot," said Lazuli, a shy smile on her lips, her hair messy and not contained in its usual pigtails. Lapis' eyes moved from Peridot to the botanical specimen itself and her smile fell. "Dirt and diamonds; I knew I shouldn't have really picked up speed." A stray hair fell into her face which she blew away with an annoyed huff.

Sparing Lapis any further embarrassment, Peridot gingerly plucked the wind-swept offering from her companion's grasp. A trio of floating fingers turned the range to low, retrieved a vase, filled it with a modest amount of water, and hovered the vessel over in time for Peridot's downward motion to deposit the flower within. "It's lovely, Laz. Thank you."

Lapis was wrangling her cerulean locks back into their usual restraints. "Ah, it was nothing, P."

Millennia ago a Rose-loyalist Kunzite had been quite the avid botanist. Even though the gem herself hadn't survived the period of the Rebellion’s interregnum, her reports _had_ and they'd been one of the many Peridot had categorized and archived in her initial century with the Crystal Gems. In the time it had taken Lapis to tie back her hair, Peridot's electronic query returned, the results flashing across the inside of her glasses.

"Lapis, these are native to tropical Africa. Did you really make a trans-Atlantic flight to bring me a flower?"

Lapis' blush deepened. "Maaaybe? I remembered getting you one of these back when the Mamluks were still a thing. Anyway, I, uh, I wanted to get back before Connie and Steven stole all the cute for themselves. Turns out doing a roundtrip flight to South Sudan in a hurry isn't great for the foliage or the 'fro, though."

Peridot laughed, a simple, honest laugh instead of her usual 'Nyehehehe,' then she reached out and took Lapis' hand into her equivalent. "It's a very kind gesture, Laz, and I think it looks quite nice." Hearing the reverberations of Jasper's footfalls on the structure's stairs as well as the first hints of Steven and Connie's conversation drifting up ahead of them, Peridot dispatched a quartet of floating fingers to place the vase in the center of the coffee table. This had the benefit of freeing up counter space for the impending breakfasting.

Lapis smiled over the counter and gave her hand-equivalent a squeeze that was relayed through her haptic feedback mechanisms to the hard light extremity contained within. "Great." She then blew out a breath, retrieved her hand, and said, "Alright, game face time."

The door opened.

"-that airship captain said in _Order of the Stick_ , 'Never underestimate the strategic value of a good training scene montage. It could save your life someday,'" said the Steven, entering first and holding the door open for the others.

Connie stepped through next, clearing the doorway and lingering beside her companion. "Yeah, but sixteen hours of montage music?"

Jasper hunched and stepped through the door sideways. "If you need music to train, you'll need a lot more than sixteen hours of it."

Connie shot Jasper a look.

"Overall, not all in one day," the warrior clarified. She paused in thought for a moment and muttered, "Though when we get to the endurance trials..."

Wolf squeezed past the Quartz and was soon inveigling, via pants and whimpers, petting from all three.

Lapis approached the quartet, ruffling Connie's hair and throwing an arm over the Steven's shoulder. "Welcome to the family, Stevie! You'll get your badge and secret decoder ring in six-to-ten business days."

Steven's eyes lit up. "Really?!"

Lapis seemed momentarily caught off guard by the Steven's enthusiasm. She rallied quickly, a quality that Peridot had never managed to successfully cultivate in herself. "Sure, Pinkie; Dot and I will work something out. I'm sure we can find a good picture of you around here somewhere." Turning to Connie, she said, "There's some of them under your pillow, right?"

Connie fixed Lapis with a dry expression. "Har har."

Centuries of proximity to and interaction with Lapis meant Peridot recognized what it meant when Lazuli put her left hand on her hip like that: her jab had failed to produce the desired result and she was preparing to double down.

If only Connie's behavioral patterns were consistent enough for Peridot to attain a similar level of familiarity. Sadly, human/hybrid development was too rapid and change-prone to permit this.

"Hey OJ, you're going to be giving Curls a workout right?"

Jasper gave a minute nod.

In some respects, Jasper was even easier to anticipate than Lapis. However, there were facets to the Perfect Quartz that were revealed so rarely she would sometimes utterly surprise Peridot. Like an occulted stellar mass, these unknown behaviors could only be detected indirectly and with patience.

Lapis positioned herself so she was looking at Jasper but had a clear view of Connie's expression. "Well, I happen to have some great workout music you two can use. Dot, we've still got that cassette of _In Plain Sight_ , don't we?"

Proving that the ear enhancers Peridot had days earlier crafted for her were functioning with acuity, Connie's response was immediate and strident. "No! Never again! _In Plain Sight_ will be destroyed on sight. Jasper, if you see anything with a side ponytail, smash it!"

Jab successful, Lapis' body language immediately became conciliatory and Peridot could estimate with 95.45% certainty that her companion was smirking. Jasper, meanwhile, gave a basso chuckle. "Will do, squirt."

Clearing her throat, Peridot addressed the room. "As instructor, Jasper should dictate what ambiance accompanies her lessons. Also, Connie, Steven, I have breakfast prepared. You two should avail yourselves of it before engaging in a strenuous regimen."

The Steven clutched his stomach. "Actually, ma'am, I was really excited so I got up early and had a big meal already. I think between that and the butterflies, I don't have room for anything more." He began to follow Jasper toward the warp pad.

"You ingested lepidoptera?"

Connie jogged over and grabbed a plate. "I wanna be there at the start, so I'll eat from the stands. Thanks ma'am."

Moments later there was a flash of light and they were gone.

Lapis walked over and leaned on the kitchen counter. "Kids these days, am I right?" She snatched a piece of jelly-covered toast off a plate and took a bite.

Wolf's ears and eyes appeared just over the lip of the counter like a surfacing submersible. Peridot could hear panting. Lapis 'accidentally' knocked a piece of food on the floor and the yellow head vanished in an instant.

"I'll ready this to be available for later," remarked Peridot, marshaling her floating fingers to the task of stowing the food for deferred consumption.

"Speaking of which, are you free this afternoon?" Lapis' expression was confident but her body language betrayed an undercurrent of uncertainty. Peridot wasn’t the only one wary of rushing into anything headlong, it seemed.

Peridot decided to play coy. "I could be. Why, do you have a destination or activity in mind?"

Lapis smirked. "Well, there's this field in South Sudan just thick with that guy's extended family." She jabbed her thumb in the direction of the battered gladiolus on the coffee table. "I thought maybe we could pay them a visit."

Peridot smiled as her fleet of fingers tidied and organized.

* * *

After Jasper warped Steven and her to the sky arena, Connie helped Steven from toppling over when gravity reasserted itself. The plate of breakfast she’d brought with her had suffered nothing worse than a pancake flipping over mid-trip. Sharing a look between them, the two teens raced one another to the top of the bleachers, a stray piece of toast flying off the plate and over the arena’s edge to… wherever below. 

Looking around, her friend panting slightly from the hasty ascent up the stairs, Connie saw racks of assorted weapons, some training dummies, what looked like an obstacle course made from debris retrieved (no doubt) from Peridot’s room, as well as the large cube-shaped power station that they’d used during the disastrous attempt in training Connie to wield a blaster. Several of Peridot’s ersatz robonoids milled about off to one side.

Connie nibbled on an apple slice, staring down at the greenish cube below. “Hey Jasper, what’s the wireless power station for?”

Jasper walked past, descending the stairs down toward the arena floor. “To power Citrine’s shield when you’re not here.”

Connie and Steven moved to follow, the boy goggling at the arena despite having visited it prior, the girl saying to the Quartz below, “I was planning to stick around anyway and if I have my power sink off then you won’t need the power station.”

Jasper picked up a flail from a rack and tested the strength of the chain. Without looking away from inspecting the weapons, she said, “The first stage of Steven’s training will take several weeks.” She glanced over at the boy, who was still a little winded, and added, “Or longer.” She turned back and lifted up a sword that looked small in her hands, testing its balance with a few practice swings. “You’ll have missions. You’ll have Peridot stuff and Doug stuff. You two will be training together sometimes, but for some lessons, it’s better if you’re not here.”

Connie blinked. “Oh. Well, I guess that makes sense.” She faced her friend. “Are you okay with that, Steven?”

Steven nodded. “Yeah. I mean, you’ve done all kinds of destiny training when I’m not around and if miss Jasper has me balancing a cup of water on my head or having me scrub the arena to teach me some ancient wisdom about patience or listening to my emotions then you probably wouldn’t want to sit around for that. It’d probably be boring, and I’m sure you did all of that when you were, like, eight anyway.”

Jasper looked at Connie with a slight hint of uncertainty. Connie shrugged, then sat down in the front row of the bleachers. Smiling Steven handed her his cheeseburger backpack, bulging with who-knew-what, and walked down near Jasper.

“Pick up Citrine’s shield,” instructed Jasper. “That will be your only armament during your training. You are to become Connie’s shieldbearer, using that to protect you both while you serve at her side.”

Connie swore she could see stars in Steven’s eyes while he strapped the buckler to his right forearm.

“I am your instructor. You will obey me here as you would Connie in the field. However, any silly titles you’ve got for me, don’t bother. I’m Jasper. You’re Steven. Connie, though, you will address with respect.” Jasper stared at Steven impassively, as though waiting for her words to sink in.

Steven tried to trade his smile for a more serious expression and failed. He grinned up at the Quartz and said, “Yes ma’- Yes Jasper.”

Jasper may as well have been carved from stone, the movement of her mouth and the slight sway of her hair in the breeze the only indication she was animate. “Ask Connie to place her field upon the shield and then we’ll begin.”

Steven turned, grin widening, bowed to Connie and said, “M’lady, if you would be so kind…”

Connie rolled her eyes but responded in kind. “May this force field serve you well, good sir.” The two snickered as eighteen inches of circular yellow force extended out from the buckler’s edge.

Jasper walked out toward the center of the arena. “Alright, let’s see how much you know about fighting.”

Steven stood there a moment, looking around uncertainly. After nothing else happened and Jasper declined to say more, he asked, “You want me to just… attack you?”

“Yup.”

“But what if I hurt you?”

The corner of Jasper’s mouth quirked up in the tiniest of smirks. “Then I’ll be impressed. Now, fight.”

Steven looked back at Connie one last time before slowly walking over toward Jasper. Part of the way there he seemed to remember the shield and raised it in a defensive stance. He circled Jasper once, then twice, the Quartz only moving as much as she needed to keep sight of him. Eventually he got in close and shoved her with the shield, with about as much effect as if he’d pushed a brick wall.

Jasper didn’t respond.

Steven raised the shield slightly and swung it such that the force field grazed the warrior’s arm. He paused to scratch the back of his neck with his free hand, then shrugged, and kicked Jasper in the shin. “Ow,” he said, hopping a little on one foot.

Jasper reached forward and gave a gentle push, causing Steven to lose balance and land on his rear with a grunt.

A moment passed. Steven got to his feet and said, “Do you want me to try again?”

Jasper stared at Steven for several long seconds. “Steven, you have all the killer instinct of a Pearl.”

Steven smiled.

“That’s bad.”

Steven frowned.

“Alright, we’ll start with that kick. You’ll want proper boots if you're going to be doing that, preferably steel toed. Peridot can probably make you some for tomorrow. However, kicking with toes is usually a bad idea anyway. You can use a lot more force if you land with the bottom of your foot. Walk over to that dummy and…”

* * *

“Gah!” Steven maneuvered his shield just in time to deflect the wiffle ball one of the robonoids, Gort, had lobbed at him with the miniature launcher strapped to it. Claptrap launched one at his side while Toasty hurled one like an artillery shell (or particularly speedy piece of toast) in a high parabolic arc. Steven whipped around and Claptrap’s projectile clipped the top of the shield, ricocheting off his forehead. Gort’s second shot smacked him in the left shoulder, Steven spinning around too late to stop it. In fact, he overcompensated, rotating far enough that Claptrap’s next shot popped him in the back of the head. Fortunately the mass of curls from his hair pulled into a ponytail absorbed the impact handily.

“Stop,” announced Jasper.

Steven was rubbing the mild sting out of his shoulder when Toasty’s missile came down and bonked him on the top of his head.

Jasper stared at the tableau. “Right. Connie, come here.”

Connie, who had spent the first hour cheering Steven on, the next hour finishing her cold breakfast, two more hours splitting her attention between a homework assignment and Jasper’s continued assessment, the next hour using the warp whistle to retrieve lunch for them from the Beach House, and the two hours after that reading in anticipation of the next meeting of the Warriors of Literacy, looked up surprised. “Oh, okay.”

She jogged over and stood beside Steven. The boy managed a smile for her, though not infused with as much enthusiasm as when they’d started.

“Robonoids, launch at Connie. Go!”

“Huh?!” said Connie and Steven over one another. Connie danced to one side as a wiffle ball sped past, then ducked under another. A third caught her from behind prompting an ‘ow,’ though more from surprise than actual harm.

“Connie!” Steven stepped forward and deflected a ball that would have caught her side, then raised his shield to catch another of Toasty’s artillery shots. One hit him in the small of his back but he hardly grunted as he pulled Connie in close for what looked like a dance move. Arms wrapped around her, he shielded the front of her with his bulk and the back of her with his shield. They spun around once like the Earth and Moon in orbit, several hits being deflected before Jasper called a halt to the drill.

Two of the bots obeyed, but Claptrap continued to launch shots at the pair. This prompted Jasper to snatch one of the wiffle balls out of the air and repeat the command while crushing the sphere in front of the disobedient robonoid. Claptrap took the hint, then went and hid behind one of the weapon racks.

Attempting to halt, Steven lost balance and toppled backward, Connie landing in an awkward seated position atop him. Scrambling to her feet she said, “Steven, are you okay?”

She helped pull him to his feet. “Yeah, I’m fine, though I think I might have a wiffle ball caught in my hair.”

While Connie helped detangle the projectile from his locks, Jasper looked on with the first actual smile since coming to the sky arena.

* * *

It took several warps but Connie, Steven, Peridot, and Jasper (mostly Jasper) hauled all the workout equipment they’d retrieved from his family's barn up to the sky arena. Aside from containing Uncle Andy's old plane and an even older truck, the barn had contained three treadmills, a Bowflex, two weight benches, several boxes of free weights, medicine balls, resistance bands, and nearly a dozen Shake Weights, all of which they hauled away.

After getting everything arranged, Connie summoned the force field for the shield (“M’lady?” “Sir.”) and then got situated in the bleachers. She'd brought a cushion this time, which Steven thought was smart.

Steven was sitting nearby, taking a break from stretching to sip some water, the morning light catching his shiny new boots. Miss Peridot printed out the day's assignments for Connie and then approached him. "Are your new, armored gravity connectors to your satisfaction, Steven?"

He smiled up at Peridot. "Yes miss Peridot; they're comfy. Thanks for making them! Mom owns a couple of her own pairs and she said yours were really good. She wanted to know how much we owed you."

Peridot held up her limb enhancers and shook her head. "No exchange of currency is needed. Fabricating them was scarcely difficult and I have the materials in abundance within my stores. Your patriarch's loan of mechanical musculature stressors was 'quid' enough for my 'pro quo.'"

Steven glanced over at Connie and wiggled his ears. Connie signed back, "[The workout gear was enough that she made the boots for free.]"

Peridot looked at the exchange blankly before clasping her hand-equivalents and saying, "Well, if there is nothing further, I will depart. Lazuli and I will be away on an... errand but I can be reached via the house communicator if needed. Oh, and Jasper, I have broadcast the submission code to all of the ersatz robonoids present. They know to obey you as they would me and if they don't," she paused to glare at the little bots like a mom silently conveying an 'or else' before leaving her kids with a sitter, "then be sure to inform me." Peridot turned off the scare glare, bid Connie, Jasper, and him farewell, and then walked toward the warp pad.

Steven noticed she was humming a little song as she went.

"Steven."

He jumped a little at Jasper's voice, then got up and approached her, trying for a serious expression but still getting an excited grin. "What are we gonna do today, mis- Jasper?"

"Mobility." The large gem pointed at the obstacle course. "Fitness." She pointed at the collection of workout gear. "Then both." While Peridot had been speaking with him, Jasper had placed weights in a backpack, as well as finding some of the weighted arm and leg bands dad owned.

Steven nodded and went to unstrap the shield from his forearm.

Jasper cleared her throat and gave him a minute shake of her head. Pointing at the obstacle course, she said, "Robonoids, launch at Steven. Go!"

The first wiffle ball bounced off the shield more by chance than any action Steven had taken. That jolted him into action and he began running for the course, head low and shield raised.

"Go Steven!" cried Connie.

Steven smiled even as he began panting. Yesterday had been rough but he could do this.

* * *

Steven all but crawled up the steps to the Beach House. _I can't do this_ , he thought as he wondered if perhaps someone had made the climb to the house longer.

The first day of his training had been the hardest day of Steven's life. The second day of his training had ALSO been the hardest of Steven's life, topping the first handily. It was now the seventh day of his training and Steven looked back on days one through six wistfully; muscles he hadn't even known he'd had ached, and dawn felt earlier each morning.

Steven entered the Beach House with tortoise-like speed.

Connie was halfway down the steps from the loft, still in her pajamas and rubbing sleep from one eye. "Good mor-" She yawned. "Good morning, Steven."

Steven managed to make it to the couch where Wolf was dozing, flopping adjacent to the pooch and using his rump as a cushion. "Morning," he mumbled.

"Are you okay?" asked Connie, walking over to him with a look of mild concern on her (still sleepy) face.

"'M fine. Just-" Steven hauled himself upright and winced, "Just a little sore." Glancing at the clock, he realized miss Jasper would be warping down for him soon. Not wanting to be seen slumping against Wolf's butt when she arrived, he tried to get to his feet... and flopped back down hard, Wolf making an annoyed snort from the other end of the couch.

Connie frowned, thinking. After a few moments of studying her incapacitated friend she said, "Steven... I, I think I can help you feel less sore."

Steven sat there, body radiating weariness though he managed an apologetic smile. "I'm really sorry but I don't think a shoulder rub is going to help."

"I'm... not talking about massage, Steven. I think I can use my magic to transfer some of the soreness over to me," she said softly.

Steven felt himself wake up all the sudden. "No! That wouldn't be right. I mean, you had to go through destiny training without help like that. Plus, it's not fair that you feel my sore muscles for me."

"Okay, but I had years to get used to training. Jasper seems like she's trying to cram all of that in, like, a month. Besides, you're doing all of this to help me and the gems. If Peridot can make you muscle creams to help you survive the training, well, I can do this."

Steven wanted to argue but Connie taking his muscle pain was just not right, a fact he was having a hard time explaining _because_ it was so obvious.

Before Steven could muster a coherent retort, Connie said, "Besides, no one will let me practice my transference power. This seems like a pretty safe way for me to try to learn control. If I can only take half of your aches than maybe later I'll be able to take half of something serious. It might allow me to save someone." 

She looked at him with soft brown eyes, said, "Will you help me learn my power?" and Steven's resolve was obliterated. He hung his head in defeat and motioned her forward.

* * *

Jasper had finished the last of the preparations a while back and was now just giving Steven time to arrive. Maybe eat some of that food humans need so badly. She warped back to the Beach House, arriving in a flash of light, and heard... Connie moaning in pain?

"Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?" she said from where she was collapsed on the couch next to Steven. Wolf had risen and was sniffing the girl concernedly.

"I thought I did," said Steven, sitting up with Connie's head in his lap. He was running his hands through her hair in a way that gave Jasper flashbacks to Doug and Citrine doing something similar.

At least this Doug would be more useful in combat than the last one. Or would if Jasper had any say in the matter.

"No, I meant, if it was this bad, why didn't you say something yesterday? You don't have to kill yourself training, Steven."

Despite the sound and light of the warp, Steven still didn't seem to have noticed Jasper. She simultaneously disapproved of his terrible situational awareness and approved of his dedication to supporting Connie.

"I just thought it would get better by the next day. But I thought that four days ago and it kept not really being true." He caressed Connie's forehead. "Are you sure you only took half?"

"Do you feel like your legs are getting stabbed by needles every time you flex them?"

"Yeah."

"Then I've got as much as you do. I'm surprised you made it up the stairs with the full soreness."

Steven gave a weary chuckle. "I had to take a break halfway up, actually. I dropped a half-eaten donut by accident and didn't think I could make it back up if I went down to get it. We- We should probably go get it when we can. I'm pretty sure that's how you get ants."

There was the sound of the screen door flying open as a yellow blur sped through it.

"Oh, nevermind then."

It was at this time that the temple opened on Lapis' room. Peridot emerged, wet, Lapis a few paces behind, dry. Both were giggling.

"Hey OJ. Got Pinkie going all Obsidian yet?" asked Lapis. "I don't know if he could pull off the heels, but going Kool-Aid Man through a wall with a shield seems like something he'll be able to handle. If not, well, given the shape of his momma, give it a few years."

"Actually, according to my mom, I'm better in pumps than she is. At least at not falling over," answered a tired-sounding Steven.

"Gah! Universe?" Peridot jumped then, seeing the state of the pair, began scanning them.

Whatever all this was, she and Steven had a day of training to do. "Steven, Connie, it's time. And Lapis, Obsidian had innate balance, which is the only reason those shoes made any kind of sense."

"Plus they made her look hot as-"

The two-tone sound of Peridot's scan finding a problem cut Lapis off. "The Steven and Connie will be going nowhere until these lactic acid levels are reduced by at least sixty percent. Connie, how did you manage to exert yourself to this degree since I scanned you the previous night?"

Connie started to respond when Peridot cut her off. "No matter. Jasper, go retrieve the above-ground pool we used for containing the Sea Shrine lab overflow. Lapis, gather water from the command center that is no more than one hundred and two degrees Fahrenheit. I will gather water-appropriate attire for Connie and the Steven."

"Command center?"

Connie, without even bothering to look up from Steven's lap, said, "She means the bathroom."

Jasper entered Peridot's room, striding across the lava flows and gathering up the pallet of stuff that would become the pool, including patch material to seal the hole Peridot had previous cut for it to fit snugly around the warp pad.

It was true Jasper sometimes had a hard time grasping just how feeble humans could be. That was not the case here, though, and out of sight of the others Jasper allowed herself a contented smile: not only had Steven gone longer than she'd expected before faltering, Connie had stepped in to restore her future shieldbearer.

It more than made up for the loss of the day.

* * *

Light spilled across Connie's dreaming face, costing her the peace of sleep's lassitude. Blinking against the light, she raised her head and noticed it was dark outside, meaning it was either very late or very early. Sitting up she reached on reflex for her glasses and was momentarily surprised when her hand returned with hearing aids instead.

She stared down at the gemtech-bolstered devices, confused before remembering why she had them. Slipping them into place, she heard a faint and nasal muttering coming from the lit bathroom. Picking herself up, she walked lightly down the steps from her loft, smiling slightly to herself when she heard the familiar creak from that one step.

She'd missed that.

Rounding the corner she found Peridot busy staring at the hidden screens and readings behind the bathroom mirror. Peridot's control room.

"What's goin-" A yawn cut off Connie's words.

"YRG!" yelped Peridot, her floating fingers remaining where they were while the rest of her leapt a full foot off the ground.

"Oh, sorry for scaring you, mom," offered Connie, hands help up in a conciliatory display.

"What are you doing up at this- I'm sorry, what did you call me?" asked Peridot, her expression growing curious.

Connie blinked. What had she said? "Uh, sorry for startling you, ma'am."

Peridot looked sad for the blink of an eye before saying, "Ah, so what are you doing up at this hour? Oh, if you need to use the, erm, facilities, I can step outside if you'll permit me a few moments to toggle the devices into standby mode first."

Connie shook her head. "No, I was woken up by the light coming from the bathroom. Is something going on, ma'am?" She played with the hem of her night shirt while she stood there.

Peridot looked chagrined. "Ah, my apologies dear. I was distracted by, well, my warp network sensors had a mass alert tripped and none of the permitted users are employing the network at this time. Anomalous warps aren't unheard of --sometimes an energy strike or corrupted gem activity can trigger an undirected warp-- but the last time that happened concurrent with a mass alert was during the Tunguska event of 1908. And a bolide collision would have tripped off _far_ more alerts than just this one."

Connie considered this for a moment, trying to work past the sluggishness of sleep and the dim ache of her limbs (despite spending the day soaking, stretching, and drinking electrolytes). "So, someone else is using the warp network?" She perked up. "Do you think it's Amethyst? Can we find her? I really think that if we could try to talk with her then maybe-"

Peridot gave the girl a sad shake of the head. "I doubt the stunted Quartz is the cause. For one, I stripped all warp network access away from all gemstones save for six: ours plus Garnet's two. It was one of my first actions as a then-probationary member of the Crystal Gems; the security on this planet's antiquated colonization network was atrocious. Secondly, I setup a log to capture all warp activity. Out of respect for others' privacy, I rarely look at this log, but I checked now and the warp in question wasn't instigated by a Quartz of any kind. So unless a lost and very portly flask robonoid with oddly-specific maintenance access has found its way to Earth's network, I lack a compelling narrative for what's transpired."

This was all a bit much for Connie at the early A.M., technobabble eroding her diminished powers of concentration as her borrowed exhaustion reasserted itself. "What do you think we should do about it?"

Her green guardian gave her a soft smile and said, "For you, rest. It will take me time to fully harvest and analyze the metadata. By the time you have seen the Steven off to Jasper's tutelage, I should have what I need to guide you, me, and Lapis on a investigative foray to the anomalous arrival and departure points. I'll be sure to more fully close the control room's portal so that the ambient light does not disturb you a second time. Sweet dreams, dear."

Connie wasn't about to gainsay a trip back to bed. Not at this hour. As she settled in, though, she couldn't help but wonder about Amethyst, where she was, and what she was up to.


	2. Do It For Them

Connie was explaining the situation to Steven even as they ascended the warp column. Jasper took a mild interest at most. The tech on this planet was ancient and it found new ways to fail often enough that Jasper had long stopped treating Peridot's alerts like the second coming of Homeworld. Lapis, Connie, and Peridot (likely with Wolf as well) were more than enough to handle this survey mission. 

Plus, if she knew Peridot, it would give her half a day or more with Steven absent the others. There were some things best said between just the two of them.

The others wouldn't understand.

Connie summoned her field on Citrine's shield, bid her shieldbearer goodbye, withdrew her warp whistle, and set off toward the warp pad. As the pillar of light faded, Jasper turned and faced her pupil, Steven organizing the resistance bands by color into what looked like a rainbow display. “Steven.”

He rose to his feet without the naive enthusiasm of before. He succeeded in giving her a more-or-less serious expression when he spoke. “Yes Jasper?”

“Connie’s a better fighter than you.” 

It wasn’t a question but after a moment Steven nodded anyway.

“Connie’s a better tactician than you.”

The human watched Jasper as she paced, arms behind her back. He had the good sense not to contradict her over the obvious.

“Connie is smarter than you.”

Steven opened his mouth as though to say something, but closed it. A moment later he said with a slight grimace, “Yeah.”

“Connie is better trained than you. She has the killer instinct you’re lacking. If it came to a fight between the two of you, even if she didn’t use the powers of her gemstone, she’d beat you easily.”

Steven’s brows furrowed for a moment and he seemed almost confused. Whatever else Steven was, though, he wasn’t dumb, and he knew how Connie’s merits stacked up against his own. He nodded, his shoulders sagging a little.

“I’m perfect. There can be no Jasper better than me. I’m fast. I’m strong. I’m skilled. I’m the toughest gem there is. I’m perfect… but Citrine was better. When I fought Citrine, I lost. Again and again and again. When I joined Citrine, I won. Again and again; against my former Diamond; against my former Rebels; against the combined forces of Homeworld.” Jasper stopped pacing and faced Steven directly. “Do you know why?”

Steven swallowed. He shook his head.

“Because I listened to Citrine. I was built to fight but she was built to win. I became Citrine’s weapon. She led, I followed, and together we defeated everyone who challenged her. It’s good that Connie is better than you. It’s good that you know she is. She has Citrine’s gem and will one day carry forward her legacy. And you, Steven, will be her shield. The bulwark that protects her from anything that would do her harm. Support her, follow her, and she will lead all of us to victory. Her glory will be your glory. It will be the greatest thing you’ll ever do, the greatest thing you _can_ do.”

Steven looked up at her, mouth hanging open.

“You’re fortunate. If you do this, give yourself to this role, you can have it all. Have what no one else has had for thousands of years. You can be her shieldbearer, her weapon, and her love.”

Steven added bulging eyes to his open-mouthed expression of shock. Eventually he swallowed and managed to stammer out, “Y-you really think she’ll… You think she’ll like me like that?”

Jasper gave the human a weary smile, an unguarded expression she had reserved for very few. “It’s her choice. If you work hard, dedicate yourself, serve her well, you’ll have what I had for millennia. And if she does choose you, you’ll have even more.”

Steven stared at her for a moment, then his expression became thoughtful. He toggled the shield so that the field was as tiny as it could go, becoming a yellow band scarcely half an inch thick around the circumference of the buckler. He then angled the metal so that he could look at himself in the reflection, searching the visage for Jasper knew not what.

Eventually his mouth formed a determined line. Angling the shield forward once more, he switched it to its default combat setting and said to Jasper, “What should I do next?”

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_Now remember..._

_You do it for them_  
_And you would do it again_  
_You'll serve Citrine, by which I mean,_  
_You'll serve Connie._

_Keep your stance wide,_  
_Keep your body covered,_  
_As you're fighting onward,_  
_Obedience is key._

_Right side, left side,_  
_You must never falter_  
_And as she leads you forwards_  
_Be her weaponry._

_[Steven] Keep my stance wide, (Good)_  
_Keep my body covered, (Right)_  
_As we're fighting onward (Stand firm!)_  
_[Jasper] Don’t you want her to live?!_

_[Steven] Right side, left side,_  
_[Jasper] Yes, but put your weight behind it!_  
_Everything she needs, every order made_  
_You must obey–_

_On the battlefield_  
_When everything is chaos,_  
_And you have nothing but your force of will, her strategy, and your strength;_  
_You just think about the glory you'll share together after she's won_

_And then you listen to her,_  
_Because she knows how to win,_  
_You'll serve Citrine, by which I mean,_  
_You'll serve Connie._

_Deep down you know_  
_You weren't built for leading,_  
_Which can only mean_  
_Your place is as her shield._

_What they don't know_  
_Is your real advantage,_  
_When you live for service_  
_You will never yield._

_[Steven] Deep down I know_  
_That I'm far from perfect (True)_  
_[Steven] But I know that I can hold my shield up high_  
_(But you know that you can hold your shield up high)_

_With my dedication, (Good)_  
_I can serve my station, (Yes, excellent!)_  
_I can be her safety_  
_I can be her might_

_I'll do it for them,_  
_[Both] Surrender to her,_  
_[Jasper] Okay, now do as I say (I will.)_  
_You'll serve Citrine, by which I mean,_  
_[Steven] I'll serve Connie._

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* * *

Peridot emerged from the temple, her scheduled self-maintenance complete which was why her limb enhancers and gravity connectors were spotless. Even the duct tape shone.

"Hello dear. How are your studies progressing?"

Connie was working on her history assignment, a subject that depressed her a little these days because it reminded her of the book she'd lost.

"Well enough, ma'am."

Peridot appeared to notice her slump but didn't seem confident in addressing it. Instead she said, "How would you like to accompany me up to the sky arena to inform Steven of the impending lunchtime break?"

Connie set her schooling materials aside and rose from the couch. "That's a good idea. Steven didn't seem exhausted this morning, but I want to make sure Jasper isn't pushing him too hard."

In truth, Steven had arrived even earlier than usual. He'd greeted Connie in bed with a cheery 'good morning' and a set of fuzzy slippers. He'd transported them in his backpack with warm water bottles tucked inside them. She'd started to object, but as soon as he slid them on her feet she realized she'd been getting out of bed _all wrong_ for years and never known it.

She'd changed into sensible shoes a little reluctantly after breakfast.

"I will be vigilant in monitoring the Steven's vitals. Additionally, it should prove telling to see his progress, what with this being his ninth day of tutelage."

Connie nodded and they walked toward the warp pad. Through the screen door came the sounds of Wolf and Lapis playing around, a distant cacophony of barks, laughter, and crashing waves.

As the two of them were enveloped by the warp, they shared a look, both hoping the beach, and Beach City, was intact when those two were finished.

The sounds of a different kind of fracas greeted them when they reached the sky arena. A very Jasper-like grunt coming from Steven's throat caused Connie to wonder briefly if her hearing aids were misbehaving. The unmistakable noises of combat --as well as wireless speakers blasting some training montage song or another-- drove Connie up the stairs at nearly a full run.

Below was...

Connie padded down the stairs in a daze, adding vision to the list of her senses that were suspect. Flopping down in the bleachers, she watched as Jasper hammered at Steven and _Steven held his ground._ Connie found herself watching with naked concern and disbelief as the melee progressed in front of her.

Steven deflected one of Jasper's hits and then moved in for a shield bash. On an opponent less massive than Jasper, it probably would have thrown them off balance.

Jasper, however, got the huge grin she got when a fight was proving entertaining and retreated a pace for room. With a whoop, she delivered a hammerblow of a punch, pivoting so that the entirety of her mass was behind the blow.

Steven caught the impact with excellent form but physics wouldn't be denied and Steven was pushed back a half dozen feet before landing on his duff with a cry of, "Whoa!"

The unique sound of a clap delivered via limb enhancers cut through the silence. Steven whipped his head around, looking surprised when he saw Peridot and then breaking into a big grin when he saw Connie. Jasper straightened up and entered a parade rest.

"That was a pitched training bout, Steven, and you made a very good showing for yourself," said Peridot as she walked down from the landing above.

"That was really, _really_ good, Steven!" echoed Connie. _Wow. Whatever is motivating him, it's_ really _working_ , she silently added. She leaned over and silenced the speakers that were still chirping motivational montage music.

Steven was flushed from his exertions but it seemed to deepen slightly. "Thank you, m'lady." Picking himself off the ground, he turned to Peridot and said, "Thanks ma'am. It's just hard to stay in place with hits like Jasper's coming in."

Peridot seemed to consider this for a moment, looking at the shield, then over at the large cube of the power station. "Actually, with Connie's energy aura being a given for the Citrine Aegis' operation, that does raise the possibility of adding enhancements to your loadout."

Steven's eyes went wide. "You mean you could give me, like, super tech so that I could serve Connie better?"

Peridot preened. "I'm not sure the superlative is quite justified, but an escape pod-scale inertial dampener should be capable of preventing you from being overwhelmed kinetically. Yes, the greatest obstacle has always been sources of power rather than miniaturization. I have to wonder why I never considered this avenue before."

"Woo!" Steven pumped his arms in the air excitedly.

Jasper addressed Connie. "Do you need Steven for something?"

This helped dispel the lingering daze Connie was in from seeing Steven sparring competently. "Oh, right. It's about lunch time. Peridot and I came to get him for that."

Jasper gave a small nod. "Steven is yours for the next three hours."

"Really?" asked Connie.

"Woo!" Steven jogged over, setting the shield gently on the bleachers beside Connie. "What would you like to do, m'lady?" he asked with a cheesy grin.

Connie rolled her eyes. "Well, we could go get dessert from the Big Donut and do some reading. It shouldn't be anything too strenuous since this is, like, your break."

"Sounds good!"

Connie turned to Peridot and was going to make sure she had no objections but it was clear the technician had long stopped paying attention. Instead, she said, "Jasper, can you warp us back to the Beach House? I didn't bring my warp whistle."

The three of them ascended the bleachers, leaving Peridot muttering notes into her limb enhancer while a cloud of holographic schematics danced around her head.

* * *

"So what happened with that warp mission thingy from yesterday?" asked Steven as they made their way down the Beach House steps after lunch.

"Oh, so Peridot's theory is that a chunk of an old gem colony ship, which is located kinda near her garden actually, suffered some kind of malfunction and exploded." 

Steven was kind enough to provide sound effects, earning a laugh from Connie before she continued. "That caused a six hundred pound chunk of old spaceship to land on the warp pad and Peridot thinks the lingering gemtech reactions somehow triggered a warp. There were signs of debris that more-or-less matched an explosion and the only tracks around there were animals local to the forest. Still it seems kind of far-fetched to me."

"So what do you think happened?"

Connie flashed Steven a smirk. "My leading theory is that Lapis blew up a chunk of an old ship so that she and Peridot could flirt for most of a day."

Steven giggled. "I think it's sweet."

 _It's something alright,_ thought Connie. _Still, at least it's not as bad as it was leading up to New Years._

"Here, let me get that for you, m'lady," said Steven, jogging ahead and opening the door to the Big Donut.

"Oh, thanks, Steven." She gave him an odd look over the latest in a long line of 'm'ladies' but didn't say anything about it.

"Hi Steven. Hi Connie," called Sadie. Lars looked up from his phone but gave them no further acknowledgement.

"Hi guys! Connie and I are gonna hang out and read for a little bit. We're on break from destiny training."

Lars muttered something under his breath and received an elbow in the side.

"Sounds good. Just let me know if you want anything," offered Sadie.

Connie and Steven got situated at a table, Steven insisting he run and place their order while Connie stayed put. After returning with drinks and a bag of donut holes for them to share, the two settled down.

Connie's eyes were boring a hole in the cover of _The Fellowship of the Ring_ that Steven was reading. After the week Jasper had read the fantasy trilogy while they waited for Peridot to reform, Steven had said he'd given the books a shot. He'd enjoyed _The Hobbit_ but had switched to watching the movies pretty quickly after reaching the main series. Now he was reading it with a focus he usually reserved for new comics.

Connie was about to say something, though what she wasn't actually sure, when the both of them froze: their teenager-grade eavesdropping senses were tingling. By mutual understanding, both of them went quiet and carefully turned their heads for optimal nonchalant listening.

"-and Jenny haul me to this club in Empire. We're there for five minutes when she gets a text about her car being towed or something so she and Buck left to go deal with that," said Sadie, the clerk leaning against the counter. She'd been whispering to an unusually attentive Lars but excitement crept into her voice, making the whisper carry the length of the quiet shop.

"So I'm there and behind this roped off area I see Sour Cream!"

"No way!"

"Yeah, totally. He's there with this older pale guy with an unfortunate amount of gold jewelry."

"Weird."

"I thought so too. I go over there to say hi, maybe find out where he's been the last six weeks, but these bouncers aren't letting me get anywhere close. I'd just seen someone thrown out for yelling at the V.I.P. area so I had to just sort of hang out and try and catch Sour Cream's eye."

"Did you get to talk to him?"

"Well, no but-"

"Then this story just got way less interesting." 

Lars looked about to pull out his phone when Sadie leaned in and hissed, "I heard what they said and it was messed. Up."

The attentiveness returned to Lars' expression.

"The old guy, right, he says, 'See those floozies? They're yours for the taking, kid. I've already got a jacuzzi, champagne, and an appointment at a VD clinic scheduled for you. Go get 'em, stud!'"

"Ha! Really? 'Floozies?'"

Sadie hissed, her voice low. "Shh. Connie and Steven are here."

The young teens ratcheted up their studious nonchalance, pretending to read their respective novels and pop the occasional donut hole into their mouth.

Satisfied, Sadie said in not nearly as quiet a whisper as she probably thought it was, "So Sour Cream stares at him for a second and says, 'Okay, music dad, that's great in a really brain-bleach sort of way, but I've already got someone **s** back in Beach City.'"

"That's Sour Cream's dad?!"

"Yeah! So that guy said, 'Woah woah woah. Did you say _someones?_ ' Sour Cream nodded and then the old guy grabbed Sour Cream's shoulder and actually looked like he was tearing up. 'See, this is the life you were always meant to have. If you can snag a threesome in Beach City then you'll be elbow deep in-'"

Lars blinked. "Wait, you're saying..."

Sadie looked at Lars knowingly and smiled.

Lars continued as if solving a particularly elusive puzzle, "...that Sour Cream is dating Jenny and..."

Sadie started to nod, her grin widening.

"...and Jenny's twin sister?!"

Sadie looked at Lars dumbfounded before burying her face in her palm.

"What?"

"Buck. It's Jenny and Buck. Cripes Lars."

"Eh?"

Sadie rolled her eyes. "So Sour Cream leans in and says, 'Yeah, but one of them's a guy,' but his dad says, 'Bucko, I work in the music business. Unless he's your blood relative, you're not even approaching my threshold for scandal.'"

"So.. not Kiki then."

"No, not Kiki," Sadie confirmed with a minimum of snark. "Anyway, the old guy says 'They're not here and you've got your choice of the club. See, look, over by the rope? That's, like, a solid... six right there,' and he was pointing at me."

Lars' face went slack. "No... Why, if I'd been there... What happened next?!"

"Sour Cream said 'I know her. She's my friend!' and his dad said, 'Okay, six-and-a-half, shit.'"

"So?"

"So I chucked my pump at the old guy and got thrown out."

Lars was about to say something more but a laugh, finding the way out of Connie's mouth closed, escaped out her nose as a snort instead. This set off Steven, who chuckled openly.

Sadie and Lars stared at them. Connie and Steven stared back. The jig was up. Connie made the sign for 'run' on the sly and Steven gave a tiny nod. Before the bubble of awkward could burst, Connie and Steven grabbed their things and sprinted out the door, the shop's chime marking their departure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter came from MjStudioArts. The chapter promo was drawn by BurdenKing. _Do It For Them_ was written by the Connie Swap Team and performed by MjStudioArts. The _Do it for Her_ instrumental track ([found here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0tnZhR1Wq0)) is from [Alex Cao](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCURcp-3z3l3WFiFy5xJ_R5g).
> 
> So, we're going to be trying out a new, faster schedule from here on out ~~because BR42 is impatient and crazy~~ : we will be updating the main fic **every** Wednesday, with a week off between episodes. That means you can expect the conclusion of _Sworn to the Shield_ **next week** on Wednesday, March 14th. Also, there'll still be omake updates and what-not on our off Wednesdays because ~~BR42 is crazy~~ no, pretty much because BR42 is crazy and takes that _Connie Swap updates every Wednesday_ record of theirs seriously.
> 
> * * *
> 
> On the subject of songs, the Connie Swap rendition of _Giant Woman_ has been recorded by our very own, very talented MjStudioArts, [uploaded to Sound Cloud](https://soundcloud.com/officialconnieswapcrew/giant-problem-e13s1-giant-problem), and added to [Ep13Ch2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/11820081/chapters/26845404). Go give it a listen if you haven't already.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Some new omake content for you to enjoy:  
> *) [What if Citrine never existed?](http://archiveofourown.org/works/12265302/chapters/31795770) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- A new addition to Peridot’s What-If Machine Collection.  
> *) [Veni, Vidi, Connie: Chapter 2](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/31972548) by [Wierdkid20](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Wierdkid20/pseuds/Wierdkid20) \- Earth receives some unexpected visitors.  
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> A small bit of the fic has been retroactively changed. Specifically, in Ep16Ch7, Pearl originally said, "I am my own gem who serves the illustrious **Orange** Diamond," and that has been changed to, "I am my own gem who serves the illustrious **Plaid** Diamond." Why? Well, that was intended to be Pearl deliberately saying something blatantly untrue as part of her post-release giddiness. Unfortunately the original version was misleading in not being blatant enough and it was causing confusion for some. For the sake of future readers, we've tweaked that to be clearer. And yes, per authorial Word Of God: the setting of Connie Swap has neither an Orange Diamond nor a Plaid Diamond. Whether it should, we'll leave for the Discord conversation and Omake Collection to debate.


	3. Citrine's Rumination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day? What mad- Oh right, I said that last week. Second verse, same as the first, because apparently I can't write an update that's less than 10k words in length.

Connie stared at the sunny flowers Steven had thrust at her, attempting to blink away confusion and sleepiness at the same time. "Um, thanks Steven."

She gingerly took them from his hand and examined them in the dim light of dawn that was filtering into the Beach House. They were pretty and a sniff confirmed they smelled nice, but sitting up in bed with Steven grinning at her made the whole situation feel... off.

"They're chrysanthemums. They're from mom's flower bed, though I helped plant them," he said, puffing up with pride. "Also, I think the name sounds a little like some kind of magic gem lady. 'Chrysanthemum,'" said Steven looking into the middle distance, hands fanned out as if gesturing to a poster of the hypothetical flower-gem.

Okay, that part didn't feel off, and Connie smiled at her friend. "I'll put these in vase with those flowers Peridot and Lapis picked." She swung her feet over the side of her bed and Steven was already scrambling to open his novelty backpack.

Connie sighed. "You don't have to do that, you know."

He withdrew the heated fuzzy slippers from the cheeseburger pack. These last three days he'd been taking them home with him so he could bring them back in the morning, freshly warmed by the hot water bottles he'd slip inside them. Flashing her a radiant smile he said, "I don't mind, m'lady." He paused. "Do you?"

Connie frowned slightly. Did she? On the surface, absolutely not: waking up to warmed slippers was one of the best things ever. But below that... "It's just, you're doing all these really sweet, thoughtful things for me and I feel kind of bad since I haven't done anything like that for you."

Steven cocked his head to the side, puzzled. "But you took half my soreness a couple days ago, which is waaay bigger than flowers."

"Well, okay but that's-"

"And you took, like, a dozen doses of bad vibes from me when we were at your mom's sanctuary."

"Yeah, but that's on a mission so-"

Steven had transferred the slippers to one hand so that he could count on the other. "You're letting me use your destiny shield and you put that force field on it every day."

"Steven, you're training to-"

"You've saved me from a _bunch_ of corrupted gem people, like the worm, the mole, those Ruby-dog-ladies, oh, and all those crystal bats." Steven paused for a moment. "Hey, are those still living in those mole tunnels in the forest?"

"Huh? Oh, no, Lapis flushed them out of the tunnels, literally, to where Jasper was waiting. Any that tried to fly away got picked off by Peridot," explained Connie. "That was going on around the time Wolf attacked the Frybo costume. Anyway," interjected Connie, trying to regain control of the conversation, "we help each other out because we're friends. And you helped me fight that worm monster and those corrupted Rubies and you weren't even trained for that sort of thing, so don't sell yourself short."

Steven fidgeted with the slippers in his hand, looking suddenly uncertain. "Being a part of all this is really special to me. And I have that because of you. Warm slippers and flowers and bringing you donuts for breakfast-"

"You brought me donuts?"

Steven gestured toward the kitchen counter where a Big Donut bag sat. "Those are ways I can try and help you feel special too. Because you _are_ special. Really special," he said, the last two words muttered as a whisper.

For some reason his face was flushed.

Connie wanted to argue but Steven thanking her for the opportunity to work so hard on behalf of the Crystal Gems was just not right, a fact she was having a hard time explaining _because_ it was so obvious.

Still, it seemed important to him and he just looked so sincere, so vulnerable, that it was hard for her to rebuke him. "Alright, but you're helping me eat those donuts."

Like a stop-motion video of a flower blooming, Steven's expression went from hangdog to sunny in one smooth transformation that was as complete as it was earnest. "Certainly, m'lady."

He waggled the slippers at Connie. She rolled her eyes but extended her feet slightly. Warm slippers really were one of the best things ever.

* * *

Connie dodged left, the training surrogate's grab missing by inches. Galatea was at the helm and the robonoid favored getting in close, doggedly pursuing its opponent and, if possible, pulling them into a crushing submission hold. It was like getting a hug from an industrial vice. With separation anxiety.

Galatea piloted the suit in pursuit of Connie. This left Steven an opening which he exploited, hammering into the surrogate’s side. This caused the exoskeleton to topple but it managed to surprise Connie and snatch her into the dreaded servo-enhanced embrace as the two fell.

"Stop!" barked Jasper, the force of her command only slightly less than the squeeze against Connie's rib cage. With apparent reluctance, Galatea released her and rose to their feet. A moment later and Connie did too, assisted by a hand from Steven.

The Quartz scowled the training surrogate aside, then rounded on Steven. "You let the enemy reach Connie. If this were a real fight, she could be injured right now. Why did you leave her side?" demanded the warrior.

Steven wilted under Jasper's glare, his confidence fleeing along with his voice.

Connie stepped between the pair. "It was on purpose, though. I intentionally maneuvered away so that the one of us Galatea didn't chase could get in an attack from the flank." Holding Jasper's gaze, she added, "Which Steven did."

The large gem considered this for a half-second, her expression towards Connie softening somewhat. "Your plan was a good one. However," and her voice grew harsh once more, the warrior stepping so Connie no longer blocked line of sight with Steven, "you were still grabbed. Steven failed to enact your plan well enough."

Steven was looking down at his steel toed boots when he nodded. "I must be like a weapon in Connie's hand on the battlefield," he recited. "Her plan is my plan." He looked up at Connie, expression apologetic, and said, "I'm really sorry, m'lady. I'll try harder next time."

Connie opened and closed her mouth like a fish hauled out of water.

Jasper filled the silence while Connie was speechless. "Good." In a milder tone she said, "You had the right instincts, Steven. You're not mindless. You're not disposable. You have worth but that worth is realized by following Connie's plan. She doesn't have time to explain everything during combat; you have to be smart and fast to be where she needs you when she needs you there." The Quartz reached out and gave Steven's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "You're making great strides, Steven."

The disbelief and flickering outrage at seeing her friend chastised guttered out; coming from Jasper, that was a substantial show of compassion and encouragement.

The steel returning to her voice once more, Jasper said, "Once more. We'll begin at your signal, Connie."

* * *

Connie was waiting at the warp pad, whistle in hand, a mix of concern and curiosity churning in her gut. Jasper had asked to have a few words alone with Steven before they broke for lunch.

A few minutes later her friend was taking the steps down from the arena two at a time, smiling at her. "Jasper said we could have the rest of the day off!"

Connie blinked, surprise washing over her. "Really?"

"Yeah! Though she said we need to spend it together; she thinks it'll help me anticipate you better in a fight," he explained.

"Let me get this straight. You convinced Jasper, who goes on patrol _as a hobby_ , that the two of us goofing off together was training?" She stared skeptically, not so much at Steven as at reality itself.

Steven nodded.

"Steven, you're brilliant!" she exclaimed.

He was all smiles, a slight flush entering his cheeks. "Thank you, m'lady," he said with an exaggerated bow.

* * *

"But you always take the player-one controller?"

"That's okay, Connie. I think you should have it."

"Oh... alright. Um, what do you want to play?"

"Whatever you want is fine, m'lady."

* * *

"~Let's go fly a kite ~ Up to the highest height! ~ Let's go fly a kite and send it soaring ~ Up through the atmo- oh no!"

"Oops. Here, take the handle, Steven. It's my turn to get it back in the- ... And there he goes. Again."

* * *

The seconds ticked by and Connie tried her best to maintain her carefully neutral expression. Steven, alternately playing as Legacy and The Scholar to Connie's Wraith and Expatriette in _Heroes of the Multiverse_ , kept staring at his cards and then stealing glances at Connie.

"I could inspire everyone for a damage buff," he hazarded, looking for a sign of Connie's opinion to the idea. When he saw none, he looked at his cards again and said, "Ooor, I could play Flying Smash to clear out some of the minions." Another glance.

More silence. After it'd become clear Steven was taking his cues entirely from her, she'd done her level best not to enable… whatever this was.

The game had ground to a halt.

"Ooor I could play Heroic Interception..."

Connie found herself trying not to grind her teeth.

* * *

Father and daughter were heading up the Beach House stairs, neither in a particular hurry; one because of their destination, the other because of their ongoing discussion.

"And this has been going on for how long?" asked Doug.

"He's been training with Jasper for two weeks now, but the warm slippers and flowers and 'm'lady-m'lady-m'lady' started a week ago," fumed Connie.

Doug had some very specific ideas about what it meant when a boy was bringing a girl flowers and acting funny around her, but he had an inkling that Connie wasn't of a mind to talk about _that_.

Contrary to popular belief, Doug wasn't entirely clueless around women... only mostly.

"Do you think maybe he's getting swept up in playing a role?"

His daughter paused on the top step and looked at him with a mix of vexation and confusion. "What do you mean?"

Doug rubbed his hand across the railing, briefly recalling when he, Jasper, Peridot, and a newly pregnant Citrine had built the house. At that point Peridot had gotten fully on board and Lapis had left to erase a few islands from the archipelagos of the world.

"Dad?"

Doug shook his head. "Sorry," he apologized, offering an embarrassed smile. Ever since Connie had suggested this visit, he'd become a little unmoored, drifting easily into reminiscence. "My point is, Steven seems like he's pretty eager to please," which was putting it lightly; that the boy hadn't run screaming from Connie and the gems after his first brush with a gem monster spoke volumes. 

_'Course, I didn't run either and-_ but he shut that thought down with extreme prejudice.

Gathering his wayward thoughts, Doug preempted his daughter's question by saying, "Sorry, cute lass, but your old man's a little distracted right now. I-" he glanced down at her gemstone and sighed.

Connie gave him a sympathetic half-smile. With a gentle tug on his arm, she said, "I understand. Come on, dad."

Led by his daughter, the two entered the Beach House. Connie gave him a final, questioning glance but Doug squelched the emotions churning in him and mustered a nod.

There was a flare of yellow light and then the temple opened on Citrine's room.

With a sense of being in two places at once, Doug walked slowly, reverently inside, his daughter in step beside him. He stood there, assaulted by memories, everything achingly familiar despite having been locked away for almost fourteen years.

Citrine asked him if he needed to sit down. He nodded dumbly and was a little surprised when it was Connie who helped him over to the cushions. There were the polaroids she'd taken after borrowing his camera. The lei, suspended in a yellow bubble, looked as fresh as when she'd worn it during their honeymoon. She'd kept fresh roses in that vase for as long as Doug had known her, even putting new ones in the morning she'd gone into labor. Seeing them wilted, dessicated only drove home how long it had been, how long she'd been gone.

All at once, past and present came crashing together like two great ships forced together on a stormy sea. The impact shattered the dinghy of Doug's composure and his face disappeared into his hands.

A distant corner of Doug heard the temple door close and was grateful the gems wouldn't see his tears.

* * *

It was distressing seeing the tissues scattered across the yellow sand so Doug crouched down and gathered them up, stuffing them in a pocket just to get them out of sight. Connie set the box of tissues aside and waited patiently for her father to finish.

 _She really is a wonderful, considerate daughter,_ observed Doug, feeling the mix of pride and unease of someone who thinks they have something they don't deserve. It was a familiar enough sensation for him, given who Connie's mom was.

Sitting back down on the cushions, he mustered a smile for his daughter and said, "Thanks for, uh, waiting. Being in here after so long was a bit overwhelming. But I think your idea was a good one; it was time I saw her room again." By the end his smile had become more genuine, the light of his paternal pride shining through.

Connie gave him a relieved smile, clearly happy to see her father not in pieces anymore. Then fidgeted a little with her hands and, after a moment working herself up to it, said, "I have some questions. About this room. And mom... If you're up for it?"

Doug reached across and squeezed Connie's shoulder, hoping to convey tangibly his support for her. "Ask away," he said in as casual a voice as he could manage.

His daughter took a deep breath. "Well, for starters, can you tell me about the stuff in this room? When I first came in here I tried to figure it out as though there were some deep mystery here. I was so excited to see all these things of mom's that I kind of forgot that it was, well, just the things in her room."

 _She misses someone she's never met._ In that moment, Doug's heart ached for his daughter. It was only the fact that he'd forced her to wait on him enough already that kept him from pulling her into a tight hug. "Sure. The photos on the wall over there are from your mom experimenting with my polaroid camera. She was always fond of watching people living their lives; photos were a charmingly human way of doing the same."

"What about that big sword scabbard?" asked Connie, gesturing.

"That belonged to Rose Quartz. When I asked her about it back in the day she said it was one of two things she got from Rose during their last conversation together. And no, I don't know what the other thing was; your mother tended to get kind of vague where the war was concerned," said Doug with a helpless shrug.

It was clear this only served to stoke the fires of Connie's curiosity. Wanting to give her something more substantial, Doug leaned forward and pointed at the petrified fern on a high shelf of crystal. "Citrine told me once that that plant fossil was what started the Rebellion."

 **That** certainly got her attention, her expression so keen Doug had to suppress a chuckle. "Citrine said that after she'd been... the gem-equivalent of born, Rose Quartz took her on a tour of the planet. The thing to remember is that, before the war and the split and everything, Rose was like an older sister to Citrine. At least, that's the impression I got. Anyway, there was some kind of giant hole that Homeworld was digging-"

"A borehole?" asked Connie, looking off into the middle distance. "For geothermal energy?"

Doug blinked. "Oh, yeah, actually. Have you heard this before?"

"No, though I think I went there on a mission once. Anyway, go on," prompted his daughter.

"Okay, so there's this giant hole being dug and they'd cut through a layer with fossils. Citrine asked one of the overseers how old that particular fossil was. When she learned it had been there for millions of years, she said she and Rose had their first inkling of just how long Earth had belonged to organic life. And there the gems were, actively tearing a giant hole in the face of the planet as part of a terraforming effort that would wipe out all of that life, ending a legacy that was old even by gem standards. She said that's when the first seeds of Rebellion were planted."

Father and daughter were quiet for a time, either digesting this story or in respect to the tale’s significance.

"What's with all the Polynesian stuff?" Connie eventually asked.

"She was always fond of it. I told you how she was doing a hula when I first met her, right?"

"Oh, uh, vaguely. All of those memories from my birthday when I was little are, well, as though they were from years and years ago."

Doug blinked. _Oh right. That._ Not wanting to linger on a sore subject for Connie, Doug pressed on. "The masks, the lei, the little hula girl: those are all souvenirs of hers from various vacations we took together."

Connie nodded. "What about the rope and baseball?"

Doug shrugged. "No idea. Your mom would sometimes get stuff like that and she'd hang on to it for days or months seemingly at random. She said once that she felt like a visitor among humanity, and I guess things like those were her personal souvenirs. Lapis and Peridot both took to human culture well enough but it was always a little mysterious and novel to your mother."

"Like Jasper?"

Doug shook his head, then paused, then said, "A little. Jasper was the opposite extreme of Lapis, in that respect, and your mom was somewhere in the middle."

Connie seemed to accept that. Gesturing up to the stack of books on a shelf of crystal, she said, "I spent a long time studying mom's journals for hidden clues or messages, but I guess they were just journals. Right?"

Doug could see Connie's lingering disappointment and gave her a consoling pat on the knee. "Yeah. She learned I used to keep a journal as a kid and decided to try it for herself. Ya know, if you're wanting to look for secret messages, you should probably try your mom's holodeck."

"MOM'S WHAT?!"

Doug flinched at the shout. "I mean, it's not actually called a holodeck, that's just the term I liked to use for it. It's that bare section of the room over there; the crystals poking up from the floor form a rough outline of it. Ya know, where the sand looks all swirly?"

Connie stared in that direction, then whipped her head back to face Doug. "How do you activate it?! What does it do?! Why does no one tell me these things in advance?!"

Doug gave a weak chuckle, then answered Connie's questions in reverse order. "Sorry, kiddo. People either don't think about it or don't want to think about it. We... Between the war and your mom, there's a lot of sore spots in this group. As far as what it does, it's pretty much a holodeck from Star Trek. If you break a hologram or try to eat simulated food then it poofs, but it otherwise feels real. And, um, I don't know how you turn it on. It was just one of those things, like opening the door or working the warp pads, that your mom did with that gemstone of hers."

Connie looked down at her stone, prodded it a time or two, then stared at the area of the holodeck. When anything failed to happen she sighed and looked back at her dad. "What did you and mom use the holodeck for?"

Doug's eyes went wide and his cheeks flushed a little as he remembered some of what Citrine and he had done with it years back. "Oh, ya know... stuff," he mumbled.

Suddenly eager to deflect his daughter's attention he said, "But your mom and Jasper would use it a lot to practice combat tactics. They'd simulate some gem monster or another and train in fighting together to bring it down. They were a really effective pair on the battlefield."

This seemed to put Connie in a thoughtful mood. Eventually she asked, "What was Jasper like when she was fighting for mom?"

"Your mom was an amazing woman and everyone respected her, in and out of combat, but Jasper took it to a whole other level. Anything Citrine said that was in any way an order was the single most important thing for Jasper. I didn't get to watch them in real fights too often," _and never after my big screw up_ , "but I watched them train plenty. Jasper would anticipate and respond to your mother in a fight perfectly. She'd boast that she was Citrine's weapon: as responsive to your mother as the sword in her hand."

Many years ago, back when Jasper was an insufferable pain in Doug's backside and Lapis wasn't, he'd asked the latter if the former had some sort of telepathy. It really seemed like Jasper was reading Citrine's thoughts while they fought and, frankly, what feats of magic a gem could do seemed pretty arbitrary to him. Lapis had laughed and said, "Jasper can't even read her own thoughts, Dougie. In fact, if she were any worse at self-reflection, she'd be a vampire."

Connie's expression grew a little queasy. "And... was she like that at home too?"

Doug paused, debating on whether to broach certain subjects. With a resigned sigh he said, “The thing to remember is that everyone was a little different back when your mother was still around.” He reached over and gave his daughter a comforting squeeze of her hand, hoping to preempt any undeserved feelings of self-blame she might have.

She gave him an understanding, if weak, smile and he continued. “Peridot never really knew what to make of me. I think she found it odd that Citrine would be attracted to a human, but she seemed to accept her decision. Lapis was actually pretty excited to have me around and she did a lot to make things tolerable whenever the others got short with me. It can’t be easy being as social as she is and having only three others like you for company.”

“And Jasper?” pressed Connie.

Doug sighed. “She must have loved your mother for longer than most of recorded history.” Connie’s eyes went wide and, a beat later, Doug said in a stern voice, “And if you ever tell her that, I have honestly no idea what she’d do.”

She nodded quickly, clearly understanding the stakes.

“Regardless, she and Citrine were never a thing. Your mother said as much when I asked her. But whatever they were, Jasper was committed to it on a level that is hard for me to adequately contemplate. Jasper thinks very highly of herself but she pretty much worshiped Citrine. Your mother wasn't a very materialistic or hedonistic person, but anything she wanted, Jasper would rush out to get for her. Mainly, though, she took it upon herself to ensure everyone took Citrine seriously enough." Doug pulled a face and added, "She could get pretty insufferable if Citrine didn't reign her in." He shook his head. "Think of her as a kind of combination bodyguard, personal assistant, really eager best friend."

With a carefully neutral expression, Connie asked, "Hypothetically speaking, what would Jasper do if she was training an understudy?"

"Um, punch them into low Earth orbit. Jasper was-" the debacle with Priyanka's 'worthiness' flashed across his mind prompting a scowl and correction, "-is very territorial. But if she somehow decided to do that then she'd drill that person within an inch of their life on being completely subordinate to your mom."

Connie's eyes widened as she stared into the middle distance. Then, without warning, she sprang to her feet as the temple door opened and said, "ThanksForTheInfoDadIGottaGoBackSoonLoveYouBye!" before sprinting out.

Doug sat there stunned for a minute before the penny dropped. "Oooh. Yeesh, that poor boy."

After the flash and chime of the teleporter, Doug got up and walked over toward the holodeck perimeter. _If she does manage to open this thing back up, I sure hope there's an equivalent to clearing the browser history,_ he thought.

With a whoosh, the door to Citrine's room slid shut. "Huh? Wait! I'm still in here!" he shouted, his voice unable to penetrate the magical absoluteness of the temple's non-Euclidean interior.

He pounded on the door a few times: he didn’t actually expect that it’d help but it was simply what you did when you got unexpectedly locked in a room. After confirming that, nope, cell phones didn't get reception in pocket dimensions, he said aloud to no one, "I guess I'll just hang out here for a while."


	4. The Truth Will Set You Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you finish reading this chapter, there is a related omake story you might want to check out:  
> [Deleted Scenes - Episode 19: Sworn to the Shield](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10673391/chapters/32165754) by [br42](http://archiveofourown.org/users/br42/pseuds/br42) \- one deleted scene and one alternate ending to Episode 19: Sworn to the Shield.

Connie was running as soon as gravity reasserted itself, jamming the warp whistle into a pocket as she took the sky arena stairs two at a time.

"Most beings suffer from not knowing what to do or being unable to do it. On Homeworld, gems have no choice and so a gem may have the wrong purpose, the wrong leader, or the wrong skills. They're trapped. On Earth, Lapis is denied her purpose and she hasn't found a new one even after thousands of years. Peridot has found purpose as a Crystal Gem but she is too weak a gem to fulfill it without head-to-toe augments. These can break. Eventually they'll be gone and she'll be miserable."

She arrived at the landing to see Jasper lecturing while Steven did bicep curls, the shield still strapped to his right forearm.

"You and I are the lucky ones, Steven. We have a purpose, it fulfills us and we fulfill it completely. We enjoy the peace of our purpose. If ever you feel otherwise, you have strayed. Focus on your purpose, on your leader, give her your all, and you will find your peace again."

Connie felt oddly uncomfortable objecting in the middle of the lesson, morbid curiosity to this lecture and a lifetime of treating Jasper (at least while she was being serious) with respect made her tongue heavy in her mouth.

Jasper made a cutting motion. "That's enough. You need to train more with the dampener embedded in the shield. Remember that it makes the shield harder to be moved by others and by you. If you don't get good at toggling it in a fight, you won't be able to fulfill your purpose to Connie."

Steven set the weights down, stepped a few paces away from the equipment, and assumed a defensive stance.

Jasper paced like a prowling jungle cat, graceful despite her size and radiating potential violence. All of the sudden she sprung forward, crash helmet appearing on her head, charging headlong to smash through Steven with sheer strength and mass.

Steven reacted quickly, putting the shield perpendicular to him and the onrushing Quartz. When the blow struck, the shield moved maybe eight inches, the almost immovable object to Jasper's nearly unstoppable force. Steven, however, had been braced for worse and was therefore slow to react. It was for that reason Jasper was able to rear up and cuff Steven lightly across one of his ears.

"You flinched, reacting to the blow you expected instead of the blow you received. Again."

Seeing Steven bopped by Jasper was enough to break the bubble of her reluctance. "Guys, it's me. I need to talk to Steven."

Jasper and Steven assumed their positions as though she weren't there. Jasper hammered the shield with a flurry of blows, neither shield nor teen yielding under the onslaught. Then the Quartz stepped back and pulling into her spindash, Steven visibly bracing for a blow that could punch through walls.

Instead, the orange blur sped past Steven, made a hard U-turn, and then transformed back into Jasper preparing to attack Steven from behind. Steven yelped and tried to swing the shield around, but he'd failed to disengage the inertial dampener which caused the barrier to move in slow motion. He was about to receive another cuff...

...when Connie yelled, "I order you to stop!"

Jasper and Steven both halted, Jasper pulling herself into an alert stance and facing Connie.

Steven attempted to do the same, was jolted against the stubbornly immobile shield, toggled the dampener, then turned her way. He smiled at her widely until sneaking a glance at Jasper and trying to assuming a similarly serious and stoic expression instead.

Several seconds passed in complete silence before Connie realized they were waiting on her to speak. "Jasper, I need Steven. It's-"

Without knowing or apparently needing to know Connie's reason, Jasper dismissed the boy with a terse, "Steven. Go."

Steven sprung forward, the smile returning to his face as he jogged over to Connie's side. "How can I help you, m'lady?"

It was all Connie could do not to flinch at the honorific.

She took Steven's hand and began to lead him up the stairs towards the warp pad. From behind she heard, "I'll be here when you're done with him." Jasper didn't specify for how long, but from the way she said it, time was a trifling matter compared to her dedication.

That only spurred Connie on faster, leading her servile friend through the warp, out the Beach House, and off toward a secluded stretch of beach.

* * *

Connie let go of Steven’s hand as they tromped across the beach, headed for the same isolated stretch of sand Connie had gone to brood after the traumatizing visit to the Sea Shrine lab.

Steven, seeing the indentations left in the beach from Connie’s passage, slowed and began to step into them, literally following in her footsteps. Moments later he bumped into her back, not having realized she’d stopped.

“How can I help you, m’lady?” he asked, looking a tiny bit embarrassed. 

"Steven, we're away from Jasper. You- You can stop acting like that." Connie stared at her friend, willing him to shoot her a knowing wink or otherwise break character.

Instead he looked at her confused. "Acting like what? I'm your shieldbearer." He paused in thought for a moment then his expression became vulnerable. "I am, right, m'lady?"

"No!" the word ripping itself out of Connie's throat, more in response to the hated 'm'lady' than Steven's question.

Her friend winced as though struck.

"No, I mean, you can use my mom's shield still, but I never wanted you to do all of... this."

"But, I'm useful to you now. And, I mean, I'm still training, but I'm trying really hard and maybe someday I'll be worthy of being a part of your destiny," he said quickly, a little breathless by the end.

"You've always been _useful_ to me, Steven. You're my friend. My best friend. I didn't start hanging out with you back in November because I thought you'd block a hit well."

"Yeah, but- phooey. One second, let me try and get my words figured out," asked her friend.

Connie suppressed a huff and gave him a minute. 

"Early on I was just regular old Steven. We hung out and it was fun, but you had this entire magical destiny thing which was too big and dangerous and crazy for me, like a roller coaster I couldn't ride because I wasn't destiny'd enough."

Connie opened her mouth to object but Steven pressed on. "Later, though, I became your light side coach and helped you more with things. And then I got all covered with your destiny because, like, I had this amazing person who took my hearing troubles. And now I can hear music and people and noises like I couldn't before and, yeah, maybe that didn't fix everything like I kinda hoped it would but, Connie, when a magical destiny girl gives you her hearing, that means something."

Connie blinked at Steven, suddenly unsure what to do with this turn in the conversation. The best she could muster was an awkward, "Oookay," more to fill the silence than anything else.

"So, like, I got invited into your destiny. Basic origin story stuff, really. Only I wasn't up to doing it because I hid from those crystal bats and was pretty helpless when you fought that mole monster-person, oh, and those times with the worm gem and at your mom's sanctuary was me just doing what you or miss Jasper told me to do. But Jasper saw what I wanted to be and she offered to train me and now, I mean, it makes so much more sense, because, Connie, you really are this smart, cool, amazing action girl so I should follow you because this has been your _life_ but I'm just getting started. I really can be a good shieldbearer to you this way and I can stop calling you 'm'lady' if you want. Maybe 'captain' or, hmmm, 'mistress' sounds kind of weird, but-"

"Steven!" interrupted Connie, this all being entirely too much for her. Steven flinched from the noise and that forced Connie to slow down. Taking a steadying breath, because yelling 'no, stop it' and shaking her friend probably wouldn't do anyone any favors even if that's what she wanted to do, she said in a gentler voice, "There's a lot to unpack but I'll start with the ears thing. Transferring your deafness was an accident. And while I'm genuinely happy that you're getting to discover new things about the world and shedding some personal illusions, it doesn't mean you owe me anything. Or owe my destiny anything. In fact, I think you're taking this destiny business too literally. Even in stories where there's a driving force behind events, the characters still need to have their own internal motivations to move the plot, otherwise it feels contrived. And, personally, this doesn't sound like you, Steven. This sounds like you pretending to be, well, Jasper."

Steven raised a hand to fiddle with a hearing aid he no longer possessed, a nervous habit he still hadn't shaken. "But Jasper served your mom for thousands of years and did all this heroic stuff while saving the world from Homeworld. Don't... Don't you need someone like Jasper?"

"No, I need someone like you. Remember, I was miserable from, as you put it, 'destiny overdose' while you were on vacation with your family. Jasper didn't get me through that, you did."

Steven was by this point wringing his hands. "But the bats, and the mole, and..."

Connie gave a rueful chuckle, the humor therein bittersweet at best. "The profound irony here is that it sounds like as soon as I helped your hearing, you stopped listening to me. Someone even told me once, 'Despite the ears, I imagine Steven's a pretty good listener.'"

"Really? Who said that?" asked Steven.

Connie opened her mouth to speak when nothing came out, her expression suddenly confused. After pausing, then biting her lip and thinking, she reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, saying, "Ya know, I can't remember. I'm pretty sure she was... blonde?"

"Sadie?" hazarded Steven.

"No, I think she was someone from out of town." Connie shook her head. "Regardless, I'm telling you now that I don't want or need some kind of effusive minion, no matter how nice the pre-warmed slippers are. Remember, we're supposed to be destiny _partners_ ; we agreed there would be no sidekicks. And this whole thing with you and Jasper? Very sidekick-y."

Steven sat there, digesting Connie's message and no doubt sorting through a pile of internal feelings. Meanwhile the surf and the gulls were constant as ever and Connie swore she could hear Wolf's bark from all the way at the boardwalk. A glance at the time confirmed that he would be wrapping up his shift as Dogbo soon.

"I think I felt really helpless and embarrassed after the picnic," said Steven slowly. "And then, after I was walking home that night from the sanctuary mission, miss Jasper offered to train me and it just sounded, you know..."

"Like what should happen in a coming-of-age story? Only instead of Professor X inviting you to join his X-men, it's Jasper telling you you're, like, my knight or something."

Steven nodded, then chuckled, adding, "It's like Hagrid giving out the Hogwarts letters, only he's got a big Quartz mane instead of a beard."

Connie laughed. "You're a wizard, Harry,” she said in a deep voice only to respond in a higher tone with, “Yeah, well you're a hairy wizard."

Steven snorted, then guffawed, which set Connie off all over again.

Humor and the cutting of so much tension between them meant the pair needed a good long while to get through all their shared giggles.

After wiping the corners of his eyes for the second time, Steven sobered up slightly and said, "I think I see what you mean now. It's just, Jasper has this sense to her, like she's somehow even more real than reality and everyone should just listen to her." He then flushed a little and rubbed the back of his neck, "And, well, I think me worrying about your destiny and me generally not knowing what to do next clicked like emotionally-vulnerable Legos to miss Jasper's Pepé Le Pew-but-a-warrior thing she had with your mom."

Connie nodded but frowned. “About that. My dad said some things earlier that I think you should hear. Because I’m _really_ worried that a lot of this was as much about Jasper trying to experience something vicariously through you, and I’m seven kinds of squicked out about the whole thing.”

Steven’s eyes went wide. They only got wider, and sadder, as Connie relayed her dad’s observations.

At the end, he broke the silence between them with, “Miss Jasper is really, _really_ hung up on your mom." 

Connie nodded. "And, contrary to what Jasper has been telling you for the last two weeks, I have no idea what to do in this situation."

The two sat there for a moment longer before Steven cleared his throat. "I, uh, I might have an idea." He looked at Connie with concern on his face. "But I’m pretty sure it’s going to get messy.”

“Any messier than any of the random things I’ve dragged you through, destiny partner?” inquired Connie, half joking and half serious.

“Right.” He unstrapped the shield from his arm and passed it to Connie. “First, let me show you how to handle this inertial dampener thing miss Peridot installed into this."

* * *

The equipment at the arena was ready for when Connie was done with Steven. Jasper had patrolled the tunnels that honeycombed the lower level of the structure, clearing out the few crystal bats that had roosted there. Now she was going through some of the katas Doug had shared with her during their mutual training sessions.

Mutual was putting it generously, but Jasper wasn't going through the Aikido forms to improve her fighting ability. The motions gave her something to do in the present while her mind was busy in the past.

She'd spent thousands of years at Citrine's side; there was no shortage of memories for her to revisit.

Time broke weakly against the impenetrable wall of Jasper's patience. A timeless moment later and the warp pad sounded, the present reasserting itself.

With it came a sense of excitement Jasper hadn't felt in a very long time. Training Connie was fulfilling, seeing her grow into Citrine's mantel was right and affirming, but instructing Steven meant something different to Jasper. Citrine had chosen Jasper to be at her side on the battlefield. Citrine had chosen Doug to be at her side off it. Steven could very well be both to Connie.

Without really understanding why, Jasper wanted that with surprising intensity.

Connie and Steven appeared at the landing and began to descend the steps. Jasper's brow furrowed imperceptibly: Steven was leading Connie by the hand and Connie was wearing the shield.

"Steven, arm yourself. You may do some warm up exercises if you need, then we will spar."

Steven walked over and retrieved a training saber from the weapon rack, Connie following meekly behind. He made a few clumsy practice swings, holding it as he was with his left hand, and then the pair of them walked into the open space reserved for sparring. "We're ready, Jasper," said the boy, Connie nodding in agreement.

Jasper suppressed a scowl. "This is no time for foolishness. Steven has a lot of training he needs to do before he'll be able to properly serve you, Connie."

Steven answered for the girl, the wrongness of which allowed an angry look to settle on Jasper's face. "No foolishness, Jasper. This is how I will serve Connie and how she will serve me."

Jasper stalked forward until she loomed over the audacious boy. She fixed him a glare for a long moment before turning to face Connie. "Connie, your shieldbearer is out of line. This is disrespectful to you and me both. End this pitiful display."

"Or what?" said Connie, speaking for the first time since arriving.

Jasper blinked, unable to process the situation.

Steven filled the silence, which allowed a comforting sense of outrage rise to the fore within her. "We've discussed it and we think your lesson is wrong. And-" he swallowed, squeezing Connie's free hand with his own, "And we're prepared to fight you to prove it."

"You two are challenging me to a fight to prove the superiority of..." Jasper trailed off, seeing Connie holding the shield imperfectly while Steven's left-handed grip on the saber was laughably amateur. "... this?"

Steven nodded, followed a second later by Connie.

"Very well. I accept your challenge. First to yield loses. You may make the first move." There would be no satisfaction in this fight, but Jasper looked forward to ending it so afterwards she could hammer some sense into the pair.

"You loved Citrine," said Steven, the boy's hand squeezing Connie's tight as he stepped into a sloppy offensive stance. The sword dangled uselessly in his left hand. "You loved her but I don't think she ever loved you back in the same way," continued the whelp. "And that's really sad because you're a great person, Jasper."

"Stop prattling and make your move," barked Jasper, her hands curling into fists.

"Mom loved Doug instead and that had to make you angry. Confused," said Connie, the shield held clumsily, strapped to the arm where her sword belonged. "I mean, who was this tiny human who had just met mom when you were the perfect warrior who had served her faithfully through a war and thousands of years of clean up?"

Jasper gritted her as unworthy feelings swelled within. "Make your move or I will."

Steven answered. "We already have. You're the one just standing there."

A deep growl emerged from the back of her throat and Jasper surged forward. Steven danced back while Connie stepped forward and raised the shield in an act of fundamental wrongness. Jasper tried to swat the shield aside but that contemptible tech of Peridot's kept the barrier in place.

"Did Connie's mom ask you to be her servant?" asked Steven, hiding behind Connie like a coward.

Jasper started to advance toward the boy when Connie jabbed her with a shield bash. Jasper staggered back slightly from sheer surprise. What _were_ they doing?!

"Did mom ask you to be her servant?" echoed Connie.

Jasper saw an opening and, acting on instinct, exploited it. Connie had never taken well to using the shield, the defensive weapon running counter to her Citrine nature, and so it was easy for Jasper to sucker punch the side of the shield, spinning Connie around and away from her ally. The Quartz stepped forward and was about to pick Steven up by the scruff of his shirt when a yellow barrier sprang into being between them.

"I bet she didn't," mocked a yellow-tinted Steven. "I bet you did that yourself because it was easier that way."

"You don't know anything about Citrine or me, you pebble!" Jasper punched the field, cracks radiating out from the impact sight. This duel had quickly turned personal for Jasper, the world becoming a simpler place for her: there was her, her opponents, and those obstacles between them. Little else mattered.

Jasper attempted to dash to the side to bypass the hard light field protecting the meddlesome human. Another field materialized, arresting her motion. Then another appeared, the three forming a triangular box that attempted to trap Jasper within, the work of the insolent gem with the shield.

"Then tell us!" both of her opponents called back.

Jasper crouched as though preparing to leap up and out of the box, a feint to force the foe to overcommit. Sure enough, the lid to the trap appeared overhead and she could see the gem outside growing sluggish as a result... though Jasper noted with a modicum of respect that there was a gap of several inches between lid and sides. This absurd dialogue was free to continue.

"Citrine is a gem like no other. I'm perfect but she is better than perfect, better than the Diamonds themselves. To deny her is to invite defeat. To support her is to embrace victory." Jasper hammered on the cracked field, glaring naked contempt for the foe on the other side.

The gem moved to protect her human accomplice, the latter continued to its mockery. "There is more to relationships than fighting together and listening to the other person."

Jasper summoned her crash helmet and shattered the field with a heavy blow, the sound of the gem's voice louder as a result. "You can never admit when you're wrong, because if you did then you wouldn't be perfect. But instead you redefined your relationship with mom to only include the things she would give you. That's just retreating and then telling yourself there was never a fight to begin with."

Jasper lunged forward, preparing to deliver a debilitating strike to this needling gem, but at the last moment something made her divert the attack into the shield instead. Ground rules for the duel, maybe? Jasper was having a hard time remembering. The remainder of her frustration poured out as she all but roared into her opponents' faces, "Diamonds don't have dalliances with lesser gems and neither did Citrine!"

The gem attempted to box Jasper in once more but was too lethargic to catch her in the trap a second time, Jasper having dived sideways and clear of the enclosure. The human squeaked then hauled the gem after it, actually fleeing _into_ the box through a gap too small for Jasper's majestic form to enter.

"You're wrong and you know it, Jasper," the human mewled from hiding. "She loved Doug."

That name provoked Jasper even more and she hammered her head against this newest field as much to drown out the words as to remove the obstacle. By the time the field shattered, Jasper could only voice inarticulate rage.

The gem, unsteady on her feet, widened the shield to encompass nearly all of the opening and continued the verbal assault. "Whatever you wanted with mom, this isn’t your second chance.”

"Rraaa!" Jasper hammered the shield with punches that would have destroyed boulders. The metal transmitted the impact evenly to the field, ensuring it remained pristine, ensuring the field sustained as much abuse it could. Even so, Jasper's onslaught was titanic and no force would stay her wrath. With a crackle like basalt shattering, the barrier failed.

Destroying yet another field staggered the gem. Jasper bulled her aside none too delicately and then grabbed the pitiful human that had the audacity to challenge her. The last human to do so had beaten her in a contest she learned of only after the fact. This human, however, had challenged her openly, and to combat no less.

Jasper tossed the human out of the ruined shelter, leering with savage satisfaction.

"Jasper, I order you to stop!" 

Jasper wasn't compelled to halt. She could have wrecked her defenseless opponents, but that voice, that gem, it cut through her red rage like nothing else could. She staggered, dropping to one knee as the gem ran past her and crouched beside a groaning human. A part of her knew she was looking at Connie and Steven, but the rest of her was consumed when something within her roared to the fore…

> _Doug was on the ground, groaning, his leg bent at a curious angle. Citrine was crouching over him, making soothing noises. She touched her forehead to his but it did him no good._
> 
> _In the dirt nearby was the smoking gun he’d fired before Jasper had laid him flat._
> 
> _“Oh my Diamond! That gem has been shattered!” Peridot, substantially paler than usual, made a sound somewhere between a sob and a retch, floating fingers swarming her like angry hornets._
> 
> _A part of Jasper meant to walk over and bubble the shards, but Citrine had ordered her to stop; her usual intuition of Citrine’s goal was returning nothing save for a churning uncertainty that was as unusual for the confident Quartz as it was unwelcomed._
> 
> _Lapis, looking embarrassed more than anything, stepped lightly over and began to delicately transfer the gem fragments into a blue bubble._
> 
> _A fresh moan from Doug spurred Citrine to action. “Peridot, use your tractor beam. It will keep him from being jostled while we transport him somewhere to receive treatment for his injury.”_
> 
> _Peridot started to raise her tech when she hesitated. “No,” she said in a soft voice. Then, a little louder, she said, “Rather, his injury, though painful, doesn’t appear life threatening and I will not act until we have established the repercussions for this act of shattering.”_
> 
> _Citrine refused to rise from Doug’s side, but that did nothing to diminish the intensity of her glare. “And what exactly would you propose?” she said in a clipped tone._
> 
> _Jasper had seen gems quake under that very glare but to Peridot’s credit, she held her ground… if only just. “You told me to question you if I knew what we were doing wasn’t right. I am choosing to raise such an objection now. The human will receive any and all medical treatment he requires. I will even assist the primitive professionals if I deem their competence lacking. But after that, he cannot continue to associate with us. Whatever your… personal feelings towards him, he has willfully shattered a gem.”_
> 
> _Jasper felt a surge of satisfaction. Doug was an embarrassment and a blight on Citrine’s legacy. That he had somehow convinced Citrine to let him assist in a mission was proof that he was mentally unfit along with the obvious physical deficiencies. “You cast gems out of the Rebellion for this,” she said, adding her voice to Peridot’s._
> 
> _“This isn’t the war anymore and Doug didn’t know what the consequences of his actions would be.” She flickered for a moment then added, “As much as he’s able right now, he’s appalled.” There was a tremor in Citrine’s voice and that made Jasper hate Doug all the more for inflicting this weakness on her general._
> 
> _“I say we give Dougie a mulligan,” said Lapis in a somber voice, the bubble of shards floating over her outstretched palm. “If every shatterer here got voted out, Peridot would be the only Crystal Gem left.”_
> 
> _Jasper crossed her arms. “I was Homeworld’s then and it was their strategy when capture wasn’t practical.”_
> 
> _“Yeah, and what’s my excuse, Jass? A bad hair day?”_
> 
> _Jasper scowled. “That’s different and you know it. This,” and she gestured to the scene before them, “was pointless. You altered the course of the war.”_
> 
> _Jasper felt Citrine’s eyes on her and she turned to face her general. “You really do hate him.” It wasn’t a question and it would have been pointless to deny it. She held Citrine’s gaze for another second before having to break eye contact. It was clear she’d acted counter to Citrine’s will and her righteous indignation towards Doug was replaced with gnawing self-doubt._
> 
> _The previous weakness gone, her general spoke again with the clear voice that had commanded thousands, turning defeat into victory on a planetary scale. “This is no longer the war so you all may exercise your right to choose. I choose that Doug be absolved of this mistake. Do you all stand by your votes?”_
> 
> _Lapis sent the bubble to the burning room with a tap, nodded, then reached out to give Peridot a comforting pat in apology. Peridot stepped out of her reach. “I stand by my principled objection,” she said. All eyes turned to Jasper but she saw only Citrine’s. Blanching, Jasper muttered, “I abstain.”_
> 
> _There was a moment of silence, Doug’s feeble noises of pain notwithstanding, then Citrine said, “Jasper, secure the perimeter and keep any humans from approaching. Lapis, fly ahead and alert the human healers. Peridot, lift him with your tractor beam as gently as you’re able.”_
> 
> _Jasper stepped into the comfort of her orders and was, in that moment, herself once more._
> 
> _That night, while Doug was in Crossroads in something called a ‘hospital’, Citrine and Jasper went on patrol together. Three warps in, Citrine explained to her that she and Doug had been in a duel, a duel for Citrine’s affection. Jasper had lost and Citrine would be extremely disappointed if Jasper failed to afford him the respect the victor was due. Jasper knelt before her general and said with absolute conviction, “I will.”_

Steven was sitting up and Connie was sitting down. Both had scrapes across their arms and foreheads, though mild ones.

“You lost, Jasper,” said Connie, her eyes every bit as piercing as Citrine’s had been.

Jasper looked down and found herself still kneeling. It was a sign of surrender: to her general’s will or to her opponents’ challenge. Here, as it had been before Citrine, it was both.

Betrayal, self-loathing, acceptance, yearning, anger: all churned inside Jasper. There was a pressure inside her that was almost tectonic in scope. Something was making her eyes sting.

“Why?” she said softly, her large head still held low.

“Sorry, what’d you say?” asked Steven.

“Why?!” she said louder, head rising up.

The victors shared a look. “Why what?” Connie asked a beat later.

Rising to her feet, Jasper felt herself fit to poof as thousands of years of pent up emotions came rushing out, the indomitable will that had held it at bay shattered. "Why won’t you let me love you, Citrine?!”

“I defected from Homeworld for you. I fought Pink Diamond’s forces. I fought Rose’s forces. I never wavered, I never doubted, I never yielded to any save you, and then, always to you!”

There was a long period of silence before Steven said, “Did- Did Citrine make you feel like you had to do that? Do everything you thought she wanted?”

“Citrine made me feel like I could do anything I wanted. And what I wanted…” a sob escaped her, a heavy thing almost too large for her form to contain, “...was her. But I never had it. And now-”

Connie, holding Steven’s hand tightly and looking at Jasper with remorse, said, “I’m not mom. And even if I grow to be like her, it will never be like it was. I know you don’t want to hear this now but I think you need to: Jasper, mom’s gone.”

A noise escaped Jasper like a wounded animal. She said something, but even she probably couldn’t say what it was. Then, lurching like the world had tilted beneath her, Jasper staggered. The motion turned into a run as she sprinted for the warp pad, for confirmation, for escape, for anything that would put the agonizing emotions back behind her carefully erected barriers.

* * *

Doug paced the yellow room torn between boredom, worry, and torment from the ghosts of a thousand memories that were fettered to this very place.

Also, he was getting hungry.

There was a whooshing sound that forced him to pivot in place. “Oh, thank goodness!” he said as he rushed the door.

Jasper stepped into the room and she was looking worse than he’d ever seen her, worse than he’d ever seen _anyone_ save possibly the widower in the mirror back when the emotional numbness had worn off. Then she saw him and shouted, “Stars shatter me! No!” literally falling backwards and scrambling out of the room, which whooshed shut as soon as she was through.

"Wait! I- But- What was-" he said, staggered and looking at the closed door. Pacing over and dropping onto the cushions with a flop, he said a few choice words in Tamil he reserved for when Connie was out of earshot.

A few minutes later and the door whooshed open again, Connie and Steven (both looking a little battered) walking in cautiously, as if looking for a wounded animal that could just as easily bite them as run away.

"Kids!" exclaimed Doug, making a point of rushing for the far side of the door, whatever else he did.

"Dad?" said Connie, absolutely puzzled. Then the realization struck her and she went wide-eyed. "Dad! Oh my gosh! You've been trapped in here this whole time?! I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine," he said, not at all concerned about himself with Connie (and Steven) clearly having been through _something_. "Are you two okay?" 

"Yeah, we're- Well, you know how you said if we ever told Jasper about her loving mom forever, you had no idea what she'd do?" answered Connie, her voice trailing off.

Doug pinched the bridge of his nose. Looking up he said, "Right. We're gonna need lemonade for this, aren't we." Nods. "Pizza and lemonade it is, I'm buying." There were no objections as the trio turned for the Beach House door.

* * *

A minute after the front door slammed shut, Wolf padded into the yellow room that was still open to the house. He sniffed the air then put his nose to the ground and snuffled a winding trail past old rose petals and an open-mouthed tiki mask. He stopped at the length of rope, sneezed, then picked it up in his mouth and gave it a couple of shakes for good measure.

With a single swipe of an oversized paw, he sent the baseball rolling across the room and out into the Beach House.

Content, he padded back the way he came, the rope still in his mouth as he looked for someone to play tug-of-war with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The art for this chapter came from MjStudioArts and BurdenKing. As an added bonus, here's MJ's model pic for the foreground:  
>   
> I love the way she works in little details and references to the art. BurdenKing worked in something as well, but it's much less obvious.
> 
> This brings us to the conclusion of _Sworn to the Shield_... almost. There will be an epilogue going up in the next day or two. Per our new schedule, we'll be taking a break from the main fic next week, though you can expect some sort of omake offering on the 21st. Tune in on Wednesday, March 28th for the start of **Episode 20: Together Breakfast**.
>
>>   
>   
>  Lapis and Peridot have been awfully flirty since the visit to the sanctuary. After the pair of gems leave for a sunrise breakfast, Connie and Steven stumble across something shocking.
> 
>   
> 
> 
> * * *
> 
> If you have a Connie Swap story burning in your soul that you want to see in our official, curated Omake collection, drop us a comment either in the Omake fic or here in the main fic and we'll get in touch.
> 
> Connie Swap has an official Discord for the fans. [Come check it out.](https://discord.gg/RQMDdhr)
> 
> As usual, we'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments and your asks at the [Connie Swap Tumblr](http://connieswap.tumblr.com/). Thanks for reading!


	5. Later That Evening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally just an outline of a scene I cut from the finished chapter because it undercut the emotional impact. I was fleshing it out to add it to the Deleted Scenes omake but it grew into something that was both substantial enough and cute enough that I didn't want to banish it from the chapter after all. How to reconcile that? By wedging it in as a tiny chapter unto itself between Jasper's finale and the denouement.
> 
> It bears pointing out that in-world, chapter 1 happened on June 12th and chapters 4 and 5 both take place on June 26th... exactly 10 business days later. The epilogue happens on June 30th so, yes, by then Steven has been strutting around with his badge and decoder ring prominently displayed for four days. I doubt anyone is surprised.

Steven and Connie were sitting up in the loft, the former playing _Golf Quest Mini_ and the latter idly watching. The pizza and lemonade that Connie's dad had treated them to certainly helped in the wake of their confrontation with Jasper, but the Quartz was gone, Doug had returned to his apartment, the Beach House was quiet, and both teens were restless.

The warp pad chimed causing the pixelated golf battle to be instantly forgotten, Steven and Connie's heads popping up like meerkats on alert.

Peridot and Lapis stepped off the pad, the latter doubled over and guffawing, her laugh alternately an airless wheeze and great snorts of breath. The technician paused, clearly satisfied at Lapis' reaction, and gave her companion a moment to compose herself.

"And she-" Lapis had to wipe the corner of her eyes, "And she believed you?!"

"It was several cycles before she saw through the ruse, and by then the assisting Ruby squads had composed several satirical ditties commemorating the jape."

"Stars, I can only imagine!" Lapis was leaning against the kitchen divider nearest the warp pad, her face a wide grin. "Ya gotta give it to those stubby ground pounders: they can find a surprising number of things that rhyme with 'rock' and 'fist.'"

"Indeed," agreed Peridot. The green gem then noticed the pair up in the loft. Steven waved. "Ah, salutations Steven. Connie. I trust things are-"

"Hey, Dot! Show 'em what we made!" interrupted Lapis.

Peridot turned and looked about to offer some retort but she reconsidered. Instead her gemstone flared, the temple opened on the lava-lit expanse of her room, and a quartet of floating fingers flew off into the chamber. "As Lazuli has intimated, we have fabricated some things of interest to the Steven. If the two of you would come down, I can showcase them."

Steven hopped up with a whoop and was immediately bounding down the stairs. Connie's enthusiasm was slower coming but she was grinning with anticipation alongside her friend by the time the floating fingers returned holding a tiny package.

"I apologize that it took us the full ten business days, but my initial prototypes were not to Laz's satisfaction."

Lapis leaned against Peridot's shoulder, all smiles. "Eh, don't sweat it, Dipdot. I've always brought the sizzle, and you make the steak."

"Don't think I didn't catch your subtle Ms. Steak jab," Peridot chided good-naturedly.

Lapis batted her eyelashes at Peridot in faux-innocence.

Connie cleared her throat.

Lapis and Peridot looked over as though they'd forgotten the teens were present. "Oh, right," stammered Peridot. She handed the package to a Steven who was practically vibrating with excitement. "As promised, your Crystal Gem identification-"

By this time Steven had already ripped the package open, squealed, and was holding a Crystal Gem-themed membership card as well as a decoder ring overhead like Link holding the Triforce aloft. "Eeeeh!" squeed the teen.

Steven immediately slid the ring on --the letters of the English alphabet visible on it and surrounded by twenty-six gem glyphs-- and he held it out to Connie like someone showing off their new engagement ring. While this was going on, Peridot tried to get a word in edgewise. "I should point out that the so-called decoder ring is a crude linguistic tool at best. Several gem language phonemes have no equivalent in English and the glyph-to-letter mapping is sloppy at bes-"

An elbow from Lapis silenced the technician. "Let 'em have their fun."

Peridot considered this then said, "Yes, I believe you're right, Laz."

"I usually am."

"No," teased Peridot, "but you certainly have moments."


	6. Epilogue

"Our next stop is where the Crystal Gems put all the bubbles," explained Steven while walking backwards into the room. The boy had become their de facto tour guide, Doug noted, as Connie grew reserved the moment Priyanka arrived and apologized for being late.

Steven had clipped a laminated Crystal Gem membership card to his shirt as though it were a badge. He also appeared to be wearing a decoder ring covered in gem glyphs.

Following their guide's sweeping gesture up, Doug stared at the cloud of bubbles with interest bordering on awe, his response every time he'd visited the burning room. If he looked closely he could make out one or two hints of yellow. He found himself combing the cloud for a blue bubble with shards in it, but if it was visible at all, he couldn't find it.

"And these were all... monsters?" asked Priyanka, her hand finding his as she spoke.

Connie and Steven answered at the same time. "Yeah." // "Sort of, but they used to be normal gems."

Before more could be said an orange bubble appeared. Doug noted there were quite a few orange ones among the bottommost layer of the cloud.

"And they just appear like that?"

Doug snuck a glance at Priyanka and saw the corner of her mouth downturned. Gem magic was undeniably real but that didn't mean she had to like it.

"Jasper sent the bubble here from... wherever she is," his daughter said.

Mistaking Priyanka's frown for confusion, Connie elaborated. "Here, I'll show you." She fished some change from her pocket and bubbled it, the coins suspended in a sphere the same shade as her gemstone. With a tap, the bubble vanished and reappeared overhead.

Two more orange bubbles appeared to jostle it.

Connie motioned the bubble of change down and popped it while Steven gave a low whistle. "Wow, miss Jasper's on a roll."

Priyanka leaned in close to Doug and whispered, "Hasn't she been-"

"Yeah, four days now," he whispered back quickly.

"Over here you'll see some art Jasper herself made," announced Steven, gesturing to the wall-painted mural of Citrine striding victorious over a battlefield with a battered but fierce-looking Jasper at her side. Little votive candles flickered from niches surrounding the mural.

"Hoo-boy," muttered Priyanka under her breath.

* * *

Doug woke up to the sound of the door of his apartment being wrenched open. As he was slipping on his pants, he heard the door close. By the time he was buckling on his belt --which included a maglite with a tonfa handle attachment-- he heard a pair of heavy knocks on what he assumed was his much-abused door.

 _Technically that counts as improvement,_ thought Doug dryly.

"Wha-huh?" muttered Priyanka. The good doctor's fierce intellect required at least half an hour and a tall cup of coffee to rouse, Doug had learned some months back.

Doug bent low and caressed her cheek, speaking quietly. "I'm pretty sure Jasper is paying a social visit."

Pri raised her head an inch and squinted at the bedside alarm clock. "At three in the morning?" she asked, voice laced with the ire of a night owl roused early.

"When does the eight hundred-pound, magical orange gorilla visit?" he prompted.

Head sinking back into the pillow, Priyanka answered with bleary resignation, "'Whenever she wants.' And I thought doctor's hours were bad."

Doug gave her a wry chuckle and kissed her temple. "Keep the bed warm for me. I'll try and be back soon."

Priyanka pulled Doug's pillow on the top of her head as though attempting to enter a cottony quarantine zone removed from all of this gem nonsense. Her mumbled reply was lost within the pillow sandwich.

Doug smiled fondly down at her until another set of heavy knocks compelled him out of his bedroom. _Better answer it before she breaks the door any more._

The doorknob was bent at an acute angle and Doug could see splinters on the floor where the deadbolt had been pushed _through_ the wood of the door jamb.

Swinging the door open he saw Jasper, hand clenched into a fist, looking like she was about to knock more forcefully. Her eyes looked a little crazed and her hair was in disarray.

Doing what he usually did when things got weird with the warrior, Doug tried to be polite and hope it all worked out somehow. That had worked pretty well ever since he'd gotten out of the hospital all those years ago. He made a slight bow at the waist and stepped clear of the entryway. "Good morning, Jasper."

Jasper stepped through the doorway without bothering to duck much and making a quarter inch divot in the lintel as she did. Doug expected her to begin pacing, clenching and unclenching her fists, or one of the other ways the taciturn gem expressed her agitation. Instead, Jasper moved Doug's heavy wooden table aside like it was made of styrofoam then laid down on the floor.

She took up an impressive amount of floor space.

 _Okay, so this is happening,_ was all Doug's mind could provide. Well, that and some unhelpful comparisons between the Quartz and a bear skin rug.

"How do you stop?" Jasper asked while staring up at the ceiling.

Doug's eyebrows furrowed at this seeming non sequitur. For a number of reasons, the retort, 'Go home, you're drunk' wouldn't work here, but Doug thought it nonetheless.

A dining room chair stood nearby like a boat beached at low tide, the table it was usually paired with now several feet away. Doug walked over and sat down on the edge of it, staring at the expanse of orange sprawled before him. "Stop what?" he asked.

"Stop loving her."

There was no need to clarify who she was talking about.

Doug wet his lips. "I don't know. I never did."

Jasper's head turned his way, eyes still with a wild cast to them. "You have that new human."

"Priyanka," Doug supplied.

Jasper shrugged, an expansive gesture that Doug suspected removed several layers of varnish from the hardwood floor beneath the Quartz' shoulders. "Are they your new Citrine?" A beat later she added, "Even if you don't tell them this, because it would anger them or others, are they-" her breath shuddered, "are they her?"

Doug ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. "That's not-" He caught himself and tried again, "No. Pri will never be Citrine. And yes, to answer your next question, I do love Priyanka." Doug had learned over the years that direct-to-the-point-of-blunt statements worked best with Jasper. "She's not a replacement for Citrine. She's not a distraction _from_ Citrine."

Jasper seemed to consider this new evidence, all while inexplicably lying on his floor at three in the morning.

"You love Connie then," she said and nodded, as if having untied a particularly tricky knot.

Doug stared at Jasper, disbelief and annoyance on his face as he tried unpacking _that_ statement. Eventually he got up, muttering under his breath, walked over to the kitchen, considered Frank's whiskey, then thought better of it and poured himself a glass of lemonade.

He took a sip, winced at the drink’s grounding sourness, and sat back down. Jasper seemed unphased by the delay.

"I do love Connie, but as a father."

Jasper squinted, clearly grappling with an unfamiliar concept.

"It's very different from how I loved Citrine."

After another pause, which Doug broke up with a pair of tart sips, Jasper said slowly, "It is different for Connie. It... It always has been." There was a hint of weight to her words, as though she were speaking from a deep place within. Doug found himself leaning forward in his seat.

"But if Connie isn't Citrine, won't be Citrine, then Citrine-" her voice hitched, "then Citrine is-" and the Quartz was wracked by another shuddering breath.

Doug had spent more than a decade and a half thinking uncharitably about Jasper. The Quartz had been a unique blend of awful and untouchable when he and Citrine were dating. She'd broken his leg, and while that had admittedly been under extreme circumstances, a part of him nonetheless harbored a grudge. Even afterwards, she'd never been an ally so much as a force of nature that was usually pointed toward someone else. And then Priyanka and Steven had caused the long-dormant awful Jasper of yore to reawaken.

And so it was that Doug, for perhaps the first time ever, felt nothing but compassion for his erstwhile nemesis. "It means that Citrine is gone."

Another sob, stronger this time, shook Jasper like a tectonic force. "But I'm still here," she said almost pleadingly in what, for Jasper, counted as a quiet voice.

Doug shook his head, in disbelief rather than reproach. _She never mourned. For her, Citrine never really died... until now._

Without consciously realizing it, he wiped his eyes one at a time with the palm of his hand. "I know," he said. "I am too." If Jasper heard him, though, she made no sign of it.

* * *

For a time, Jasper was insensate, sobbing in great, heaving bouts. Eventually she sat up and literally tore through a package of tissues, large fists clenching wads of paper to bludgeon the moisture from her face.

While Doug was up refilling his glass he swore he heard a loud honk like someone blowing their nose. By the time the implications of that sunk in, Doug whipped his head out of the kitchen but saw the scene unchanged.

His meager attempts at consoling the Quartz were met with complete indifference but he was loath to leave her alone. Several hours passed with Doug milling about awkwardly in his own apartment.

It wasn't until pre-dawn that he came back from the bathroom to find Jasper up off the floor and staring idly at his display of batons and tonfas.

"How are you?" he asked.

"Desolated," she answered. Doug was about to say something else when she added, "Like Smaug."

Doug felt a wave of annoyance right on the heels of a wave of confusion. However, before he voiced any of that, a nerdy corner of his mind piped up. "You mean the dragon? From Tolkien?"

It was Jasper's turn to look thrown, turning and staring at him like he was the family dog and, after years of barking, had just spoken a complete sentence. "Yes. He was invulnerable, content. Then a human used a hidden weakness to slay him."

"The black arrow." A beat later Doug pointed across the living room and added, "Stop staring at me like that. I have the complete works of Tolkien on that bookshelf right over there."

Jasper walked over, saw the collection, then gave him an appraising look. "Yes, fired by Bard the Bowman of Laketown."

Doug chuckled. "Which is a little funny since I'm pretty sure Steven is playing a bard in the _Lutes and Loot_ game Connie's in."

Jasper had the look of someone filing some very important information away for another time. Then she said, "Smaug died. I didn't."

Doug nodded. "It gets worse before it gets better, but it does get better."

The Quartz considered this, her expression giving nothing away. She strode the length of the apartment then paused at the door. "Did Citrine ever say why I was unworthy?"

He shook his head. "Don't do that to yourself, Jasper."

Going from calm to livid in the span of a second, Jasper’s hands balled into fists and, through clenched teeth, she demanded, "Did she?!"

"No," Doug lied. "She never did. Go home, Jasper. The others miss you."

She gave him a long look which Doug did his best to meet unflinchingly. Then she gave him a small bow, opened the door, then stepped through and out of sight.

* * *

By the time Doug climbed back into bed, the first light of the new day was visible outside.

The pillow sandwich mumbled something.

Doug retrieved his pillow from on top and said, "What was that?"

"I love you too," Priyanka said sleepily. "Can't say I'm too happy about the in-laws, though."

Doug chuckled and started to lay down when he noticed his pillow was damp. In addition to being slow to wake, the doctor had a tendency to drool in her sleep. He flipped the pillow damp-side down and settled in beside her.

It was comfy and, as he'd requested of her, warm.

"I was worried we were keeping you up. Jasper isn't exactly quiet," he said as he snuggled in close, wrapping an arm around her to spoon.

"'s 'kay. Now, sleep. Doctor's orders." She reached up and pulled his arm in close to her chest as though it was a teddy bear to cuddle.

He kissed the back of her head. "Goodnight dear."

It did get better. Before sleep claimed him, he spared a hope that it did for Jasper as well. He could hold a lot of things against her, but loving Citrine wasn't one of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Keeping track of all the updates to Connie Swap can get a little difficult, can't it? It doesn't have to be! If you go to the [Connie Swap Series](http://archiveofourown.org/series/630527) page and click the " **Subscribe** " button then you will receive an email alert every time a new episode is posted or a new chapter is added to _ANY_ fic in Connie Swap.
> 
> One button. All the updates.


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